NH Woman Accused Of Setting An Apartment Building On Fire

CONCORD, NH — A Hill resident was arrested on Christmas Eve accused of setting the apartment building she lived in on fire.

Kathy Canfield, 60, of Hill was arrested on Friday on a felony arson charge as well as a breach of bail charge.

On Nov. 22, police and fire and rescue teams were sent to 4 Commerce St. in Hill for an apartment fire. At the time, according to officials, there were four people inside their apartments. They were all able to self-evacuate, without any issues.

The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s Office was called in to investigate the fire which led to the charge against Canfield. Tilton police arrested her on Friday on the office’s warrant.

Canfield was arraigned in Merrimack County Superior Court on Monday. She was released on bail on a pretrial services order. Canfield is due back in court for a dispositional conference on Jan. 28, 2022.

Fire Marshal Sean Toomey said in a statement that arson was not a victimless crime. Any intentionally set fire, he said, puts in motion a series of events that significantly jeopardizes both the public and first responder safety. Nationwide, intentional set fires cause over 400 deaths, 1,300 injuries, and $1.3 billion dollars in direct property damage annually, Toomey added.

Anyone with additional information about this case is asked to contact the NH State Fire Marshal’s Office-Bureau of Investigations at 603-223-4289.

Canfield is no stranger to police, according to court records.

She was indicted earlier this year on two theft by unauthorized taking charge, felonies due to two prior convictions. She was accused of appearing to use a self-scanner to pay for merchandise while not scanning items at Hannaford in Franklin between Jan. 13 and concealing items on May 22. Canfield is due in superior court for a dispositional conference for this case on Jan. 28, 2022. She pleaded guilty to a theft charge out of Tilton in August 2018. Canfield was also charged with robbery, simple assault, and theft in Concord in January 2018. She pleaded guilty to the assault and theft charges in September 2018. The robbery charge was nolle prossed.

Editor's note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire Fire Marshal’s Office and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains the removal request process for New Hampshire Patch police reports.

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