Ascutney
Meanwhile, state prosecutors say they will not charge the boy who admitted to starting the fire.
“There will be no charges brought against an 8-year-old nor could there be,” Windsor County State’s Attorney David Cahill said on Tuesday. “The law presumes that a child under the age of 10 is incapable of forming the mental state necessary to commit a crime.”
The boy told fire officials he found a cigarette lighter and lit some brush on fire near the motel on April 25, causing it to go up in flames.
Cahill said there had been preliminary discussion about the potential for criminal liability on the part of the boy’s caregiver. He said he couldn’t comment on whether Weathersfield police were investigating the matter. He directed questions to Weathersfield Police Chief William Daniels; Daniels did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
The 19-room motel was owned by Mike and Ragi Patel, who purchased the business in the mid-2000s. The couple owns two other motels, including the Rodeway Inn in Bellows Falls, Vt.
In a telephone interview on Tuesday, Ragi Patel said she and her husband are particularly fond of the Yankee Village Motel because it is where they raised their two children.
She said she and her husband are working with town and state officials to figure out the steps that need to be taken in order to rebuild. Once they receive more information, they will vet their rebuilding options.
She said she would like to get the business back up and running in a year and a half.
“We hope that everything is going to work out,” Patel said.
The loss is still hitting the family hard, she said. Every Saturday, she and her children stop by the lot, which is still covered in rubble.
She said the community has been rallying around them, offering support and gifts.
“It is hard to get this type of community,” Patel said. “We are so grateful.”
Jordan Cuddemi can be reached at jcuddemi@vnews.com or 603-727-3248.