LEWISTON — Police charged a 24-year-old Lewiston man with arson, after a Sunday night fire that investigators say started in his Lisbon Street apartment and left more than 15 people homeless.

Christopher Violette told police he’d been “planning on throwing himself into the fire but decided against it,” according to a police affidavit.

Firefighters had found smoke and flames coming from the second floor when they responded at 8:08 p.m. to 333 Lisbon St.

The building was evacuated and residents were brought to a police station to stay warm. More than 15 people lived in the building and 11 were home when the fire broke out, Detective Thomas Murphy wrote in his affidavit. Violette was the only person not accounted for.

At 10:31 p.m. Sunday, Violette approached a police officer and allegedly said he’d caused the fire. He was walked to the police station.

After being read his rights, “Violette admitted to taking the battery out of the room’s smoke detector,” then setting fire to a pile of clothes and trash in his closet and setting another fire in his trash can, Murphy wrote.

He gave police the lighter he’d used.

Damage was contained to the second and third floors. Murphy called the damage “severe.”

Violette was being held in Androscoggin County Jail on $15,000 bail.

Lt. Mark Cornelio said he wasn’t sure how long Violette had lived in the building.

Pat Murtagh, regional chief executive officer for the Red Cross, said the nonprofit helped 17 individuals — 15 single people and one two-person family — with lodging and other immediate needs.

“We’re working with General Assistance, the landlord and the fire inspectors and at this point we’re expecting that the residents should be able to go back home within the next 48 hours, if not earlier,” Murtagh said.

kskelton@sunjournal.com

An employee of the landlord of 333 Lisbon Street, who did not want to be identified, takes a measurement of a window that was damaged by Sunday night’s fire at that location.