Watertown man charged with arson following neighbor dispute

WATERTOWN, New York (WWNY) - A Watertown man faces an arson charge following a fire earlier this month that was part of a dispute between neighbors.

According to an update from the city manager’s office, 36-year-old Christopher York allegedly set a pile of garbage on fire on the porch of 525 Olive Street shortly before 9 a.m. on February 1.

The report said city police had been at the house a short time earlier in response to a dispute between upstairs and downstairs tenants.

The fire was in front of the only exit for the upstairs apartment.

The Watertown Fire Department put the fire out.

York, the downstairs tenant, was charged with second-degree arson and fourth-degree criminal mischief.

Meanwhile, the city’s Bureau of Code Enforcement has condemned both units in the building for what inspectors call “a bunch of issues” including electrical problems.