Fires at former Fernald School in Waltham being investigated as arson

Two fires at the former Fernald School in Waltham last month are being investigated as arson and may be connected to other incidents according to the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services In the early morning on April Waltham firefighters responded to the former campus at Trapelo Road for a review of a fire the department announced in a declaration Crews revealed both the Schoolhouse Gym and the Manual Training Building on fire representatives disclosed Firefighters from several nearby communities fought the flames for more than six hours These buildings were vacant but any structure fire is inherently dangerous Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullin explained in the report Firefighters confronted heavy smoke and flames venting out the windows They were present when the roof of one building collapsed and the first floor of another collapsed into the basement First responders curious onlookers and even the person or persons responsible could have been injured or worse he continued Investigators believe the fires could be connected to two other fires one on Jan at Chipman Hall and another on Dec at the Chapel of the Holy Innocents Just like the two fires on April these fires took place on Saturdays according to the department Anyone with information about the fires is urged to contact investigators at - - - You can remain anonymous if you prefer What s bulk pivotal right now is that these fires stop before someone gets hurt State Fire Marshal Jon M Davine noted