Cedarhurst man pleads guilty to setting apartment on fire, prosecutors say

A Cedarhurst man on Tuesday pleaded guilty to felony arson for setting his apartment on fire on the day he was going to be evicted, the Nassau district attorney's office said.

Douglas Drummond, 54, who appeared before Court of Claims Judge Philip Grella, is expected to be sentenced to eight years in prison, prosecutors said. He is due back in court Jan. 12.

He lit eight separate fires in the apartment -- including blazes in both of his roommates' rooms, Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a statement.

"This defendant jeopardized the lives of everyone who lived in his apartment building and the lives of the first responders who battled the fire he recklessly set," Singas said in a statement.

The 57-unit building had to evacuated; Drummond's apartment was destroyed, while water damaged other units.

According to prosecutors: Drummond had taped the front door to the apartment shut and lit paper and clothes in his roommates' rooms. He also set fire to curtains and a closet. And he threw more clothing on the lit oven in the kitchen before taking refuge from the smoke and fire in the bathroom, where he called out the window for help, the district attorney's Office said.

The Lawrence Cedarhurst Fire Department rescued the defendant and put out the fire.

He was taken to a nearby hospital for smoke inhalation and was arrested by Nassau police.

Drummond's attorney, William Kephart, was not immediately available.