Arson Blamed for MA Mayor's Car Fire
By Michelle Williams
Source MassLive.com, Springfield, Mass.
State fire officials are investigating an incident which left a Massachusetts mayor's car with fire damage.
Police were called to the home of Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter on Saturday after his vehicle was determined to have sustained damage.
The Department of Fire Services says a preliminary investigation shows someone set fire to the city-owned vehicle provided to the mayor. The fire extinguished itself and caused minor damage. The fire is believed to have been set the night prior.
Carpenter was not home at the time of the incident, the Brockton Enterprise reports, though members of his family were. No one was injured in the fire.
He declined to speculate as to the motive behind the act when asked by an Enterprise reporter.
"We appreciate all the concern expressed by the public and the media," he said in a statement to the newspaper. "As you can imagine, this is a difficult time for my family and I. We have faith in the state and local public safety agencies involved to complete a thorough investigation."
A reward of up to $5,000 is offered by the State Fire Marshal for information leading to the case being solved. Tipsters can call the state Arson Hotline at 1-800-682-9229.
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