By Brandi Makuski

A suspect in lighting 10 Plover-area fires is being held on $50,000 cash bond.

Kyle G. Andrich, 25 of Plover, was arrested after Sept. 8 following the latest in the string of 10 fires, this one on the 2100 block of Post Road. Andrich was caught after a “quick canvas” of the surrounding neighborhood by Plover police officers, as fire crews from Stevens Point and Plover battled the blaze, according to Capt. Gary Widder.

“The department had previously identified [Andrich] as a person of interest in regards to other suspicious fires that the department had been investigating over the course of the last three months,” Widder said.

During questioning, Widder said, Andrich admitted to starting the 10 fires — three of which were structure fires — since July, including the Aug. 22 blaze at Jay-Mar.

The abandoned home at 2110 Post Rd. is still blocked off with crime scene tape. (City Times photo)

The latest fire occurred on Sept. 8 shortly before 9 PM. The structure was an abandoned home at 2110 Post Rd., according to Fire Chief Mark Deaver, located just north of Sky Club.

“We had the fire knocked down within the first 10 minutes, and another 45 minutes or so to get everything extinguished completely,” Deaver said, adding there were no injuries as a result of the fire.

According to Widder, the investigation into the string of fires has been a cooperative effort between Plover police, Portage Co. deputies, the Wis. Division of Criminal Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

“We finally got him,” Deaver said of the suspect’s capture. “It’s great when it all comes together.”

Andrich was also required to hand over his passport to the district attorney’s office. If he does post the high cash bond, he is ordered to have no contact with any person or property as listed in the criminal complaint, and must remain inside Portage County.

He returns to court on Sept. 25.