LAWRENCE, MASS. (WHDH) - A Lawrence man is accused of setting fire to a rooming house where he lived on Monday.
Emergency crews responding to a fire alarm at a 10-room building on Jackson Street just after 11:30 a.m. met with residents who said they heard Raymond Rivera, 31, making a lot of noise in his room and then leaving the building shortly before the alarm sounded, according to the Department of Fire Services.
An investigation reportedly determined that the fire started in Rivera’s room and was intentionally set.
“This man put the other residents in harm’s way by knowingly leaving a building that is on fire and not alerting anyone,” Lawrence Fire Chief Brian Moriarty said. “Seconds count in a fire. Fortunately, the fire alarm system alerted other residents and they were able to escape more easily because it happened in the middle of the day.”
Rivera was arrested and is slated to be arraigned Tuesday in Lawrence District Court on one charge of arson of a dwelling.
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