Waltham Fire Ruled Arson, $100K Reward

WALTHAM, MA — The 10-alarm Waltham fire that destroyed five buildings under construction on Cooper Street was set on purpose, said fire officials at an afternoon press conference. And they're asking for the public's help in finding anyone responsible for setting the blaze.

"An intentionally set fire of any size causes concern in the community and an arrest is the quickest way to help the community return to normal," said Fire Chief Paul Ciccone Thursday.

In order to help facilitate that arrest on the table there are two rewards offered, one sponsored by the Property and Casualty Insurance Companies of Massachusetts for $5,000 and another is a reward of up to $100,000 dollars by the construction company for help leading to the arrest - and conviction - of those responsible for setting the fire.

Officials would not say whether they suspected more than one person, had any leads, or discuss what they knew, on account of the investigation being on going.

"This did have a ripple effect, and it stripped many companies of their protection because of a crime that was committed," said Ciccone who added that firefighters from 19 cities came to help fight the fire.

The fire destroyed a 264-unit apartment building under construction, displaced hundreds of people for several hours as they had to evacuate their homes, and damaged two adjacent buildings and 20 cars. It was an estimated loss of $110 million, according to State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey, Ciccone, and Waltham Police Chief Keith MacPherson. Four firefighters were injured in the fire.

Ciccone said a fire of this magnitude with so many cities coming to fight it is rare, even for the Boston.

(Check out a photo gallery of the fire here)

As the fire is still under investigation and has been since firefighters arrived on scene Sunday July 23, officials would not reveal many details that led them to the conclusion that the cause was arson, but did confirm that cadaver dogs had been deployed following the fire.

They would not comment on why that was or whether that was standard practice. Cadaver dogs are trained to alert law officials to the presence of human remains.

The fire is being jointly investigated by the Waltham Fire and Police Departments, State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Council President Diane LeBlanc said one measure to consider going forward is to look into the possibility of requiring construction sites of such magnitude to have a designated fire prevention coordinator.

"I'm not sure what that would look like, would it mean cameras, signs, a night watchman? There are things you can do to prevent [incidents like these]," she said.

Fire officials are asking anyone with information about the fire or saw or heard something to call the confidential state Arson Hotline at 1800-682-9229.

The Arson Hotline is part of a program that offers rewards of up to $5,000 for information that helps solve arson crimes. The property owner and their contractor Callahan Construction Managers is also offering an award of up to $100,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the fire, said the State Fire Marshall.

MacPherson, Waltham's chief of police thanked those who had already shared photos and video of the fire and asked for continued community support to help find whoever was responsible.

Officials would not comment on whether they believed this arson was related to similar instances of arson of construction buildings across the country.

Stay tuned for updates.

In the mean time, take a look at the press conference we attempted to film live on Facebook. Connectivity issues means it's not the best quality, sorry about that:

RELATED:

Waltham building fire goes to 10 alarms: 'We're going to be here for a while'

Check out a photo gallery of the fire here

Photo of press conference in front of the Fire Department headquarters on Lexington Street by Jenna Fisher, Patch Staff