Cedarhurst Man Who Set Fire to Apartment Building Sentenced to Prison: DA

CEDARHURST, NY - A Cedarhurst man charged with arson after setting fire to a Cedarhurst Avenue apartment building the day he was set to be evicted, was sentenced to eight years in prison on Tuesday, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Douglas Drummond, 54, pleaded guilty on Nov. 24 to one count of second degree arson, according to the DA.

Judge Philip Grella sentenced Drummond to prison, with three years of post-supervision, and issued two stay away orders of protection for his former roommates, according to the DA.

He is also required to pay $2,004 in restitution, the DA said.

“This defendant recklessly endangered the lives of everyone who lived in that apartment building when he set eight separate fires that day,” Singas said. “Drummond also jeopardized the lives of first responders who answered the call of duty and extinguished the fire before anyone was seriously injured.”

On Jan. 16, 2015, Drummond – who supposed to be evicted that day – lit eight separate fires in the unit he shared with two roommates, the DA said.

He taped the front door to the apartment shut and lit paper and clothes in both of his roommates’ rooms as well as set fire to curtains, a closet and threw more clothing on the lit oven in the kitchen, according to the DA.

When the smoke and fire became too much, Drummond ran to the bathroom and called out the window for help and the building was evacuated.

The Lawrence Cedarhurst Fire Department responded to the blaze, rescued Drummond and extinguished the fire.

The apartment was destroyed and other units in the building, which had approximately 57 units, suffered from water damage, the DA said.

Drummond was transported to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and was arrested by the Nassau County Police Department.