MSPCA worker charged with setting headquarters on fire - with animals and veterinarians inside

A Plymouth man was indicted yesterday on charges he set a fire in the MSPCA headquarters on South Huntington Avenue on Feb. 19, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports

William Fitzgerald, 52, is expected to be arraigned tomorrow in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of arson of a dwelling, willful and wanton destruction of property, and injury to a firefighter, the DA's office says.

Fitzgerald, a buildings and grounds manager at the MSPCA, set the fire on the fourth floor of 350 S. Huntington, acording to the DA's office. At the time of the fire, more than 200 animals were in the building - which also serves as a residence for several veterinary students. All were evacuated safely from the fire, which did an estimated $400,000 in damage and destroyed records dating to the 1930s.

The DA's office adds the MSPCA has since fired Fitzgerald.

Innocent, etc.