Two firefighters are accused of setting a blaze at a city firehouse over the weekend that was quickly extinguished, the Fire Department said Sunday.
The two men have been arrested on suspicion of using a flammable liquid to set a door on fire at the Manhattan station early Saturday. A firefighter saw smoke entering the firehouse and alerted on-duty colleagues, who put the flame out. No one was hurt.
Michael Izzo, 30, and Richard Capece, 31, did not work at the firehouse where the blaze was set. They both face felony charges of arson, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, the department said.
The Uniformed Firefighters Association did not immediately return a call seeking comment, and a message left at a home number listed under Izzo's name was not immediately returned. Capece's home number was unlisted.
In a statement, Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta called the fire "an outrageous, depraved act that should be prosecuted to the full extent under the law."
The Fire Department did not release information on a possible motive. The suspects were arrested by fire marshals and members of the city's Department of Investigation.