Fires at Centre Plaza in Binghamton Result in Arson Arrest

A suspect faces felony charges after fires were set in a downtown Binghamton office building that's being converted into an apartment complex.

Firefighters were sent to the eight-story Centre Plaza building at Chenango and Henry streets around 7:30 p.m. Friday when someone reported a blaze on one of the upper floors.

At least two separate fires were discovered on the sixth and seventh floors of the structure. They were quickly extinguished and no serious damage was reported.

Firefighters used fans to ventilate smoke from the building, which has been mostly vacant in recent months since a renovation project began.

Police spotted a man running from the building shortly after the fires were discovered. He was taken into custody a short time later behind the Sentry Alarms building at 40 Chenango Street.

Authorities said 40-year-old Jeffrey Garren was arrested in connection with the Centre Plaza fires. They said Garren lives in downtown Binghamton. He was charged with felony counts of third-degree arson and third-degree burglary. He also faces a misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental administration.

Chenango Holdings LLC purchased the building for $2.1 million just over a year ago. Developer James Slocum plans to turn the upper floors into 63 apartments with a total of 87 bedrooms.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.