Knox

A tense, nine-hour overnight standoff between an armed homeowner who threatened to shoot anyone who came close or tried to extinguish a century-old farmhouse as it burned and State Police and Albany County sheriff's SWAT teams in three armored vehicles ended when the man was arrested without incident and charged with arson Thursday.

The homeowner, Kenneth Fortuin, was described as distraught, and had cut trees and dragged them across the private roadway to prevent vehicles from reaching the farmhouse he had renovated himself, authorities said.

Nobody was injured, although the house, which was for sale as part of a contentious divorce case, was completely destroyed along with a barn and outbuilding. Flames surged 100 feet into the air and illuminated the forested, rural landscape where the nearest house was about one-quarter mile away and not in danger of igniting, authorities said.

On Thursday morning, the three-bedroom house, which was for sale for $389,900 along with 172 scenic acres, was a smoldering pile of rubble. The property included several ponds and had been operated as a campground by the homeowner's parents, the property's listing agent said.

Authorities had been to the house at the end of 75 Saddlemire Road at least a half-dozen times in the past year or so for domestic disturbances, according to a law enforcement official who asked not to be identified.

In January 2012, troopers responded to a complaint that Fortuin was agitated and had threatened to shoot people, authorities said.

Fortuin, 49, owner of Knox Country Builder, was charged with third-degree arson, a felony, which carries a 1 to 15 year prison sentence. He did not have a lawyer with him when he pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday in Knox Town Court before Town Justice James Corigliano. Fortuin left the courtroom, but was brought back a short time later to be arraigned on a second charge of obstructing firefighters, a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year. After both arraignments, Corigliano told Fortuin, "Good luck to you sir." Fortuin was sent to the Albany County Jail.

Fortuin had been in his Silverado pickup truck since around 9:45 p.m. Wednesday on the rural property after he called 911 and said he was armed and willing to shoot whomever ventured near the house, authorities said.

When firefighters from the Knox Volunteer Fire Department arrived a short while later, they had been alerted to the dangerous situation and stayed back from a raging fire that consumed the century-old farmhouse that had been in Fortuin's family for generations.

Firefighters were mindful of the burst of gunfire that met firefighters when they arrived at a house and car fire burning on the shores of Lake Ontario two days before Christmas 2012 in Webster, N.Y., outside Rochester. It was a trap set by a deranged homeowner and ex-convict who killed two firefighters and injured two others in the chaotic scene before the shooter killed himself.

The troopers and sheriff's deputies also hung back Wednesday night, uncertain where the gunman was on the property and whether he had prepared an ambush, or if he might turn the weapon on himself if they tried to approach. Fortuin spoke by cellphone with a trooper who was a relative and one of the firefighters on the scene also was related to Fortuin, authorities said, noting such connections were not unusual in the tight-knit Hilltowns.

At around 4 a.m., an outbuilding burst into flames and the situation grew more strained. At daybreak, a State Police helicopter arrived and circled overhead. Fortuin was located in his pickup truck in a field a short distance from the farmhouse, State Police said.

At around 6:30 a.m., after troopers saw Fortuin point a handgun at himself when he got bogged down in deep snow as he tried to drive away, the SWAT teams advanced and surrounded Fortuin's truck. Troopers rode in a Bear Cat armored vehicle and sheriffs' SWAT team members filled an armored Humvee and a military surplus 18-ton Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle, or MRAP, a military surplus vehicle with gun turrets and bulletproof glass used in the Iraq War.

Authorities said Fortuin dropped the handgun, a 9 millimeter, and gave himself up to troopers without a struggle at about 7 a.m.

The edgy situation immediately recalled the massacre of firefighters in Webster, N.Y., which prompted specific local training in response, said John Layton, a volunteer firefighter who was among seven firefighters who responded with two firetrucks from Knox Volunteer Fire Department.

"We were very concerned given what had happened and we were focused on our training," Layton said. "We got additional information that the man was distraught and that the fire might have been intentiionally set."

When firefighters saw the farmhouse burning heavily and recently cut trees pulled across to block the road, they recalled their training and retreated. "There was no indiciation anyone was hurt or inside the house and we were very concerned about the situation and our own safety," Layton said. They backed the firetrucks up a safe distance away from the fire and stayed on the scene as troopers and sheriff's deputies arrived.

Firefighters and law enforcement officials conferred and decided that residents on Saddlemire Road were far enough away and did not need to be evacuated. They were told to take shelter in their homes, Layton said.

Layton, who was off-duty as a captain with the sheriff's department, eventually spoke with Fortuin briefly by cellphone.

"He led us to believe he was still in the area, and based on what he said it was clear we should stay back," Layton said.

Layton stayed on the scene until about 4 a.m., when he went home. He later got an update on the outcome.

"The State Police made some smart moves and they worked very well with the sheriff's SWAT team," Layton said. "It was very fortunate it ended safely, with no injuries to anyone."

Troy Miller, owner of C.M. Fox Real Estate, knows the family and listed the property for sale. He met Fortuin and his estranged wife, Andrea Fortuin, as he drew up the paperwork and was aware that they were going through a bitter divorce. "I didn't dig in too far," Miller said. He said the couple had been together for at least 10 years, and possibly longer. He had not yet seen the fiery destruction.

"It's very fortunate for everybody involved that nobody got hurt in that fire," Miller said.

Knox Town Supervisor Michael Hammond said he knew Fortuin for many years and expressed surprise at his arrest.

Andrea Fortuin is owner of Orenda Yoga & Healing Arts, with studios in Schenectady and Guilderland Center. She is a certified yoga therapist and meditation coach. She could not be reached for comment.

"Please respect what we are going through is personal and painful," she posted on her Facebook page. "Love and prayers are what is needed, not gossip."

More than two dozen people posted comments, which ranged from "Big hugs and endless energy" to "I am reaching out to the universe for a positive outcome."

Bob Gardinier contributed. pgrondahl@timesunion.com • 518-454-5623 • @PaulGrondahl