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Worker Charged With Arson In Maine Sub Fire

U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jhi L. Scott

A civilian worker has admitted to starting a fire aboard the U.S.S. Miami nuclear submarine last May.  The fire caused $400 million in damage, and was followed by another suspicious dock fire.

The U.S. Attorney’s office has charged 24-year-old Casey James Fury with two counts of arson for ‘willfully and maliciously’ setting fires in or near the USS Miami. Fury told investigators he started first fire, on May twenty-third, in one of the ship’s staterooms. He used a Bic lighter to set fire to a pile of rags. The fire burned much of the forward section of the vessel and took twelve hours to extinguish.

Fury also admitted to investigators that he set a second fire on the dry dock below the ship on June sixteenth.

Fury claims to have been suffering from anxiety episodes that triggered both arson cases and says he is taking Celexa and Klonopin for anxiety and depression. He is scheduled to appear in an initial court hearing at 3:45 this afternoon.

Before becoming a reporter for NHPR, Ryan devoted many months interning with The Exchange team, helping to produce their daily talk show. He graduated from the University of New Hampshire in Manchester with a major in Politics and Society and a minor in Communication Arts. While in school, he also interned for a DC-based think tank. His interests include science fiction and international relations. Ryan is a life-long Manchester resident.
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