A man is facing multiple charges after police say he intentionally set a fire in a New Hampshire apartment building on Sunday.
Firefighters were called to a report of a fire at 56 Tyler St. in Nashua shortly before 8 a.m. Sunday and found a fire in a fourth floor hallway of the 8-story apartment building. The fire had mostly been contained by the building’s sprinkler system and firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the remaining flames.
Fourteen units sustained water damage, and the hallway sustained fire damage, resulting in about 30 residents being displaced. The Red Cross worked with those residents to help find them a temporary place to stay.
No injuries were reported.
Police and fire officials were able to determine that the fire had been intentionally set using an accelerant, and attempted to speak with a potential witness, 42-year-old Johnathan Gerald, of Nashua, who refused to cooperate with officers and tried to smoke from a small glass pipe in front of them. He then smashed the pipe on the ground in front of the officers and was arrested for unlawful activities.
Upon further investigation, police detectives determined that Gerald had set the fire and charged him with arson, five counts of reckless conduct and four counts of criminal restraint. He was held without bail and scheduled to be arraigned Monday afternoon in Nashua District Court.
Anyone with more information about the case is being asked to call the Nashua Police Department Crime Line at 603-589-1665.
