WORCESTER, Mass. --
Arson investigators in Worcester are trying to detect any connection between three arson fires that have occurred within a half-mile of each other there, trying to determine if they're related.
Someone set fire to the wooden window frames at the Tatnuck Magnet School on Pleasant Street in Worcester at about 8:45 p.m. Sunday, officials said. Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames and keep them from spreading inside the building.
No one was injured in the building, but a veteran fire investigator was injured during that fire when he slipped on some ice.
It was the third fire in nine days. The other two fires happened at a vacant house nearby at 531 Chandler St. One was set on Dec. 19 and the other on Dec. 24.
The state fire marshals office is offering a $5,000 reward for information. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at (508) 799-1930 or the detectives bureau at (508) 799-8651.
Five homes and four vehicles were torched within a half-mile radius in Northampton during the weekend, killing two people.
The fatal Sunday morning blaze was just one of more than nine suspicious fires that broke out within 75 minutes and investigators said they were intentionally set.
Detectives Probing Worcester ArsonsCopyright 2009 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
