A Dorchester man has been charged with attempted murder for setting two major fires – one in Chelsea – after getting in a fight with his girlfriend and trying to fight that fire with a fire.
Late last week, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, Everett Fire Chief David Butler, Chelsea Fire Chief Robert Better Jr, Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie, and Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes announced the arrest of Alfred J. Jordan, 31 of Dorchester, for two recent arson fires.
Jordan will be charged in Suffolk County with setting a fire in the early morning hours of Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 227 Washington Avenue, Chelsea, after having a fight with his girlfriend there.
He is believed to have set a second fire a short time later at 187 Elm Street, Everett, where his girlfriend was. He is charged in Middlesex County with one count of burning a dwelling and four counts of attempted murder for the Everett fire.
The Chelsea fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damages to the five-unit residential building that also injured one firefighter. Fortunately the smoke alarms worked and none of the 15 occupants were injured.
The Everett fire totally destroyed the 3-family building causing $350,000 in damages and spread to three additional residences and one commercial building. Working smoke alarms helped prevent injuries to any of the four occupants of the building where the fire started.
The Everett Police Department rescued the first floor tenant, who has only one leg. One firefighter was injured.
Multiple agencies were involved in these fire investigations led by State Police investigators assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal including trained fire investigators from the Chelsea and Everett Fire Departments, and detectives from the Chelsea and Everett Police Departments. The cases will be prosecuted by the Middlesex (Everett) and Suffolk (Chelsea) District Attorneys.