SPRINGFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A string of suspicious fires has crews working around the clock in Springfield.
Officials have opened a full-scale arson investigation to determine the person responsible for starting them.
More than a dozen people were left without a home after a string of seven fires broke out early Sunday morning. Three homes were destroyed and several others were damaged.
It all started around midnight in a Springfield apartment building; a suspect intentionally set a fire in a first floor hallway.
A small trash fire was started on a different floor of the building, a short time later. That wasn’t the last time an arsonist struck.
“We just had the third fire in this group of buildings in the last 24 hours, so we’re investigating it” said Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant. “There’s definitely somebody setting these fires. We’re working with the police department to try to determine who the perpetrator is,” said Commissioner Conant.
The third fire caused heavy damage to a unit.
“Someone set a fire in the fourth floor hallway next to a door to an apartment…” said Commissioner Conant. “It started in the hallway and went into the apartment, but the tenants were able to get out through the back stairwell,” he added.
Firefighters were not able to get much rest before they were called to another suspicious fire. Two homes were engulfed in flames, while a surrounding home was damaged by the embers of the first two homes.
Meanwhile, another suspicious Springfield fire erupted around daybreak.
The frigid temperatures and icy conditions made the job of those firefighters even harder.
The chaotic evening was made even more trying when crews responded to yet another fire. Thankfully, it was quickly knocked down and that fire is not believed to be suspicious.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Springfield Police.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)