TAUNTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A suspected arsonist accused of setting five separate fires within a two-hour span in a neighborhood near the Taunton Police Department has been ordered held without bail.
Derek Lindsay, 46, of Taunton, was arraigned Monday on three counts of arson to a dwelling, two counts of burning personal property, and one count of breaking and entering in the nighttime.
He was held pending a June 17 dangerousness hearing.
Crews responding to the area of Allens Avenue, Spring Street, Leonard Court, and Weir Street were forced to extinguish five separate fires between 11:20 p.m. Wednesday and 1:30 a.m. Thursday.
A truck was first found burning at the Silver City Gas station on Weir Street around 11:20 p.m. Witnesses say they spotted a man using an aerosol can to spark the blaze.
About 30 minutes later, firefighters discovered flames in the basement of Art’s International Bakery. Four people who live above the bakery were able to evacuate safely.
While firefighters worked to knock down the bakery fire, officials say the porch of a nearby home was set ablaze, in addition to a couch and mattress that went up in flames in a neighboring yard.
Another fire around 1:30 a.m. charred an abandoned home in the area of Spring Street and Leonard Court. Video from the scene showed raging flames illuminating the night sky.
Lindsay was arrested on a warrant Monday near the corner of County and Hart streets after an investigation led to him being identified as the suspect in the fires.
In a statement, Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh said, ““This was great work by our Detective Unit to develop this individual as our suspect and place him under arrest, all within days of the fires. I want to commend our detectives for quickly solving this case and I would also like to thank the many members of our business community who willingly shared security surveillance footage that played a major part in our investigation.”
A reward of up to $5,000 was offered for information that led to an arrest.
The fires did not cause any injuries.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)