A predawn blaze that ripped through a Framingham, Massachusetts apartment complex yesterday is being eyed as possible arson, officials disclosed. Fire crews were summoned to the Green at 9 & 90, located at 1630 Worcester Road, around 3:50 a.m. to battle the inferno that originated in the first-floor lobby. Four people, while no injuries were reported, were sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure, according to MetroWest Daily News.
Framingham Fire Chief Michael Dutcher noted, "We have some reason to believe it was intentionally set." However, he declined to elaborate on what led investigators to suspect arson. The conflagration took firefighters about 15 minutes to contain, despite the added challenges posed by freezing temperatures that threatened to create hazardous icy conditions.
Most residents stayed put in their homes as firefighters fought the searing flames but were later allowed to seek refuge in the complex's community center to escape the biting cold. "I opened my door, it was like, it looked like Hell," one tenant, Sandy, described the chaotic scene in an interview with NBC Boston. Her dog Mocha's incessant barking served as an alarm that alerted her to the danger. Sandy added, "Like I was in a dream, and Satan was going to pop out."
The fire chief revealed that the lobby has suffered significant damage and confirmed that the building's elevators are now out of service, with repair costs estimated in the high thousands. As the investigation continues, spearheaded by the Framingham Fire and Police departments, alongside the state Fire Marshal's Office, further details await to be uncovered regarding the fire's suspicious origin. With its residents shaken but unscathed, the community at the Green at 9 & 90 now grapples with the echoes of a harrowing ordeal, one that could have been a sinister act of flames set with intent.
