SOUTHBRIDGE — A Webster man has been arrested and charged with arson after a fire the suspect allegedly set swept through two apartment buildings, displacing 12 families, the state fire marshal has announced.
A press release from the Department of Fire Services published on Saturday morning, Sept. 27, stated that Gerardo Cruz-Rivera, 34, of Webster had been indicted by a Worcester County grand jury on Thursday, Sept. 25, on two counts of arson and one charge of malicious damage to a motor vehicle. Cruz-Rivera was arraigned on Friday, Sept. 26, in Worcester Superior Court, with bail being withheld pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 1.
According an investigation by the Southbridge Fire Department, the Southbridge Police Department and the fire marshal’s office, the fire was determined to have been intentionally set when first caught on in the rear of 5-7 Union St., a multifamily apartment building, at approximately 3:25 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2024.
More: Raging fire in Southbridge guts 2 apartment buildings, displacing many
The fire then quickly spread to a neighboring apartment building at 11-13 Union St. The seven-alarm fire saw more than a dozen regional departments responded to the fire, which was eventually contained to the two buildings. No injuries were reported to any residents, with one firefighter suffering a minor hand injury.
At the time, an estimated 25 to 35 people were displaced by the fire, with many of their possessions destroyed in the fire, including several vehicles that were destroyed in the blaze.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Webster man charged with arson for 2024 Southbridge fire