A Webster man has been indicted for allegedly setting a fire that displaced 12 families in Southbridge.
Gerardo Cruz-Rivera, 34, faces charges of arson and malicious damage to a motor vehicle.
The fire broke out at a three-story home on November 13. 2024, at the corner of Cross and Union streets, the flames jumped to an adjacent apartment building shortly before 3:30 a.m., according to the Southbridge Fire Department.
Video captured by a Boston 25 photographer showed multiple cars that were also burning in the fire.
30 people living in the buildings escaped safely, but the blaze intensified quickly to seven alarms, prompting a response from multiple surrounding towns.
One Southbridge firefighter was injured during the blaze.
One neighborhood resident told Boston 25 that she spotted someone acting strangely on her home surveillance system before the fire erupted.
Neighbor saw ‘something being thrown’ before blaze that scorched triple-decker homes in Southbridge
“Got out of the car and started walking back and forth, and the third time, when he left, you could see him in the corner, and then that’s when you see something being thrown, and the whole building just caught fire,” the woman explained.
Cruz-Rivera was arraigned in Worcester Superior Court, where he was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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