Everett Car Fire May Be Linked To House Arson Attempt
EVERETT (CBS) – A car fire may have been part of an attempt to set a house on fire in Everett, authorities said.
A sedan went up in flames in the driveway of a home at 51 Autumn Street around 5:30 a.m. Thursday.
The fire did not spread to the house and no one was hurt.
But investigators from the state fire marshal's office said the fire was intentionally set.
"There are signs there may have also been an attempt to light the house on fire," Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the fire marshal, said in a statement.
Rico, a first-floor tenant of the house, recalled the strange aroma before the blaze started.
"Next thing you know I smelled gas. I said to myself 'Why do I smell gas?'" he told WBZ-TV's Beth Germano. "Then 10 seconds later, that's when I heard the pop, like a muffled explosion, then a ball of fire, just shoot out my window.
"They said they found gasoline all around the house, I guess. And some makeshift bombs underneath the landlord's car. And then in the backyard accelerators and all that," he added.
Neighbor Tom Powers says "Hopefully the authorities will figure out what happened and get that person that's, you know, responsible."
No other information is available at this point in the investigation.
