A Fayette teenager has been summoned on a charge of arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a vacant home in Mount Vernon last month.

The 17-year-old, who was not identified because of his age, was released into the custody of his mother, according to a news release from Sgt. Ken Grimes of the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Fire marshals said they were led to the teenager by a witness who saw a male flee the area moments before the July 20 fire was noticed.

“A description of the fleeing male was posted in a local community store and several witnesses came forward with a possible identity,” Grimes said in the release, adding that members of the Mount Vernon Fire Department assisted in the investigation. “It was a community effort, one which is always helpful in solving these types of crimes.”

The intentionally set fire at 1173 Pond Road was reported at 5:13 a.m. It was a single-family house that had been vacant for about a decade, according to Grimes.

Nobody was hurt in the fire, which had engulfed the two-story home by the time firefighters arrived. About 30 firefighters from Readfield, Fayette, Wayne, Manchester, Vienna and Belgrade helped Mount Vernon firefighters battle the blaze. Winthrop Ambulance and Mount Vernon Rescue also responded.

Mount Vernon Fire Chief Dana Dunn said at the time that it took about an hour to get the fire under control.

The teenager charged with setting the blaze is scheduled to make an initial court appearance in Waterville District Court on Oct. 9.