Four teenagers have been linked to at least seven fires that were intentionally set in Poland and Yarmouth, including three that destroyed parts of the now-defunct Élan School.

Two 18-year-old male suspects were arrested and each was charged with one count of arson in connection with two of four fires in Yarmouth — one is accused of burning a U.S. Forest Service sign and the other is accused of destroying a vacant home at 14 Madeleine Point Road. More charges may be coming, according to an announcement from the Office of the Maine State Fire Marshal.

A spokesperson for the fire marshal’s office said the boys “may be connected to additional fires, and other criminal activity within the same time period.”

Investigators have also determined that two 17-year-olds were involved in the spate of fires, though they have not yet been charged.

Investigators believe all four boys know each other and that the fires are connected, said Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the agency.

The Yarmouth Police Department and state fire marshal’s office say the seven fires (which occurred between November 2024 and March 2025) were intentionally set.

In Yarmouth, two additional fires were set, one in November and the second in January, at a vacant home under construction at 508 West Main St. Three of the fires occurred at the former Élan School at 70 Number Five Road in Poland, which destroyed several buildings on the vacant campus.

The controversial boarding school for troubled children is alleged to have been a source of physical and emotional abuse for students, including physical punishments and forced fighting. It opened in 1970 and closed in 2011 due to declining enrollment and emerging testimony of abuse over the years.