A Uniondale man was arrested for starting a fire at a warming center.
On January 31 at 8:15 a.m., a Nassau County Probation Officer noticed there was a fire inside the men’s bathroom at the Nassau County Warming Center, located at 1 Charles Lindberg Avenue. The officer also saw Christian M Hall, 33, of 93 Walton Avenue, standing inside the bathroom alone at the time of the fire. The officer ordered Hall to exit out of the bathroom and was able to control the fire with a fire extinguisher. Officers from the Third Precinct, along with the Uniondale Fire Department, also responded to help extinguish the fire.
An investigation revealed that at the time of the fire that Hall was standing in the handicap stall, where there was significant fire damage to the walls and the toilet was broken. Further investigation determined that Hall was responsible for setting the fire inside the bathroom and was placed into police custody by Third Precinct police. The Nassau County Probation officer was transported in a Nassau County Police ambulance to a nearby hospital and treated for difficulty breathing. Hall was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
Hall was charged with second-degree arson and second-degree criminal mischief. He was scheduled to be arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on February 1.