Walmart Employee Charged With Deliberately Setting 3 Fires in the Store

STURBRIDGE, MA—The Walmart is still closed due to smoke and fire damage, and a woman has been charged, after apparently deliberately setting three fires at the business on Tuesday.

Maiya Cruz, Ashland Ave, Southbridge, has been taken into custody, according to the Sturbridge Fire Department, and charged with three counts of Burning a Building Contents, three counts of Destruction of Property over $250 along with Disorderly Conduct and Disturbing the Peace.

On Tuesday, Sept. 27, around 5:25 p.m. the Sturbridge Public Safety Complex received a call reporting a fire in Walmart located at 100 Charlton Road, the caller saying that the fire was in the jewelry section. The store was evacuated and firefighters responded, and found that there had been three different fires set throughout the store. All three had been extinguished by employees and customers.

Investigators quickly found that the fires were deliberately set, finding on video surveillance that Walmart employee Cruz seen fleeing the area in a dark colored Saturn.

The investigators called her on her cell phone and asked her to come to the station for questioning and Cruz hung up the phone on them, Chief Ford said.

Cruz was taken into custody on Wednesday evening.

Photo via Sturbridge Fire Department