Arson

Boston Latin School student arrested on arson charges

adamg — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:05:32 +0000

1/11/12 (All day)

The Boston Fire Department reports arson investigators arrested a 16-year-old male student at the exam school around 5 p.m. in connection with three fires over the past three days.

The student, not immediately identified, will be arraigned tomorrow, the day after a third fire sent students and staff into the street again and fire inspectors and police swarmed the school, looking for evidence and witnesses and handing anonymous-tip-line pamphlets to arriving students. The Fire Department said the investigation is continuing.

"We look forward to an uninterrupted day of learning," school Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta told parents in a robocall tonight. She said that police will maintain a heightened presence at the school tomorrow.

Boston Latin pyromaniac strikes again

adamg — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:09:22 +0000

For the third day in a row, somebody set a trash barrel on fire at Boston Latin School, this time around 1:30 p.m. in a third-floor restroom. Teachers used an extinguisher to put out the fire, the Boston Fire Department reports. The school was evacuated for about 20 minutes.

Fire and police arson investigators got to the fire scene quickly - they were already on another floor investigating the previous two days' fires. There were no injuries, BFD says.

Somebody's setting fires at Boston Latin School

adamg — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:38:57 +0000

UPDATE: Arrest made.

For the second day in a row, Boston firefighters had to respond to the exam school on Avenue Louis Pasteur for what school officials are telling parents was a deliberately set fire.

Yesterday's fire, at lunchtime, was in a trash barrel in a second-floor girl's bathroom. Today's fire was also in a trash barrel, in the basement.

The Boston Fire Department reports nobody was injured in either fire - and that today's, reported around 1:15 p.m., was set under a sprinkler head, which activated - putting out the fire and causing $5,000 in water damage. The school did not have to be evacuated due to either fire, although some students had to be relocated temporarily, the department says.

Some students yesterday did walk outside when the alarms went off; today, eighth graders had to be relocated to the cafeteria because of the water in the basement, where there classes were.

Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta informed parents of the fires in a robocall this afternoon, in which she asked them to talk to their children to see if they might have any information about the culprit or culprits. The Fire Department is also investigating.

Beverly woman charged with trying to burn down lover's Dorchester home

adamg — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:12:53 +0000

Syretta Copeland, 31, was arraigned on charges of attempted murder, arson and causing injury to a firefighter for a Sept. 10 fire at 130 Devon St. that sent one resident and a firefighter to the hospital, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

Roxbury District Court Judge Ernest Sarason set bail at $7,000; prosecutors had asked for $20,000 bail.

Shortly before 5 a.m. on Sept. 10, Copeland poured gasoline on the back porch, lit that, then went around to the front porch and did the same thing, prosecutors charge:

Allston Flamer returns: Pickup set on fire

adamg — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 17:35:36 +0000

11/6/11 - 6:57 am

Remains of the truck. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department reports a Ford Ranger pickup oarked in a driveway burst into flames shortly before 7 a.m. on Highate Street, not far from where a series of cars were torched in August and September.

Fire investigators ruled the fire arson. Boston Police report the suspect is white, in his 20s, with brown hair. He was wearing a blue/gray ski cap and a gray pea coat.

Anyone with info can contact arson investigators at 617-343-3324.

Man charged with setting six-alarm fire in Roxbury

adamg — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:21:57 +0000

10/17/11 - 12:45 am

Fire stilll burning at 5 a.m. Photo by BFD.

UPDATE: Police have charged a Medford man with arson and attempted murder for what they say was a botched suicide attempt.

A gas explosion that blew out the wall of an apartment started a massive fire that raced through a series of connected Roxbury apartment buildings around 12:45 a.m., leaving residents in one building trapped by flames on the third floor - from which they tossed a young boy to firefighters below. The rest were led to safety via an extended ladder from a firetruck.

A man was arrested at Boston Medical Center and charged with setting the fire, which spread across seven buildings on Wardman Street, Waldman Road and Westminster Avenue, the Boston Fire Department reports:

'Oh my God, she's burning my house down!'

adamg — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 15:49:53 +0000

An East Boston woman living with her ex-boyfriend was arraigned yesterday on charges she set his Coleridge Street apartment on fire, causing $300,000 in damage, displacing three people and sending four firefighters to the hospital.

Car possibly torched, this time in Brighton

adamg — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 19:07:33 +0000

9/29/11 - 1:15 am

Arson investigators are looking into a suspicious car fire shortly after 1 a.m. today on Glenley Terrace.

Ward Hegedus, who took this post-fire photo of her car, reports both BFD and BPD responded quickly.

BFD spokesman Steve MacDonald says "no determination has been made as to cause," it is still under investigation.

The Pratt/Ashford area of Allston has been plagued by car fires over the past month.

Increasingly brazen arsonist sets four more cars on fire in small part of Allston

adamg — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 15:08:06 +0000

Firefighters, police respond to car fire on Pratt Street in Allston this morning. Photo by Christine Varriale.

Allstonian reports three cars were set on fire this morning off Pratt Street - and then another one went up in flames across the street after firefighters put out those fires.

Christine Varriale reports:

9/24/11 - 7:50 am

Arson blamed for early morning fire in Dorchester that injured one firefighter

adamg — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 23:54:49 +0000

9/10/11 - 4:51 am

Fire damage on Devon St. Photo by BFD.

The Boston Fire Department reports nine people were displaced by what it says was an arson fire that broke out shortly before 5 a.m. at 130 Devon St..

One firefighter suffered a back injury while battling the one-alarm fire, the department reports, adding heavy fire was shooting from rear porches when firefighters arrived. A neighbor suffered a cut foot from broken glass.

The department estimated damage at $200,000.

Somebody's torching cars in one small part of Allston

adamg — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:39:04 +0000

Don Lubin reports three cars were set on fire over the weekend on Wadsworth, Pratt and Ashford streets.

One dead, one injured in East Boston fire

adamg — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:46:37 +0000

5/23/11 - 7:58 am

UPDATE: Teen arrested, charged with murder.

The Boston Fire Department reports a basement fire at 877 Saratoga St. claimed a life around 8 a.m. and sent a firefighter to the hospital with a back injury.

Boston fire inspectors and police homicide detectives are now on the scene of the fire, a two-story home.

Boston's last fatal fire was also in East Boston, on May 29, 2010, when two people died in a fire started by an extension cord shorting out.

Three charged with setting Charlestown apartment on fire over drug debt

adamg — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 23:40:20 +0000

2/7/11 - 12:41 am

Boston Police charge three men poured a flammable liquid under the door of an apartment on Medford Street early this morning, then lit it, starting a two-alarm fire:

Dorchester house suspiciously catches fire for second time in two days

adamg — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 02:12:55 +0000

Boston fire crews tonight responded to 49 Maxwell St. for a fire, less than 24 hours after they put out another fire at the same address.

Fire investigators ruled yesterday's fire suspicious and were summoned to the address again tonight.

Boston_Fireman reports last night's fire was reported around 9:30 p.m. A Dorchester firefighter blogs it started in a third-floor bedroom being used for storage. According to Local 718, tonight's fire started in a third-floor closet around 6:30 p.m.

The Dorchester firefighter adds that when firefighters arrived last night:

Surprisingly not all the occupants decided to leave the fire floor including children.

11/11/10 - 11:30 pm

Arson investigators looking for people who set two cars on fire this morning on Fort Hill

adamg — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 18:07:01 +0000

Residents of quiet Highland Avenue on Fort Hill got a rude awakening around 5 this morning when two cars erupted into flames, bringing firefighters, police and arson investigators. Residents say investigators quickly determined somebody had poured something on the two cars, then set them on fire. BostonPOPS took the photo.