72-year-old intentionally set series of Massachusetts brush fires, police say
ATTLEBORO – A 72-year-old man was arrested after police say he intentionally set several brush fires in Attleboro, Massachusetts.
The series of suspicious brush fires on November 12 sparked a police investigation.
Suspicious Attleboro fires
Brush fires broke out at the Attleboro Elks Lodge on South Main Street, the Manchester Reservoir on Begle Club Road, the Attleboro Wastewater Department on Pond Street North and the Attleboro Animal Shelter on the same road.
Attleboro police collected surveillance video and later arrested Gerard Genest of South Attleboro. Genest was taken into custody during a traffic stop Saturday night.
Police did not release specifics on what Genest is charged with.
When he was arrested, Attleboro police were already investigating Genest for additional fires, including one set on Saturday at the LaSalette Shrine on Park Street.
Genest is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Attleboro District Court.
Massachusetts brush fires
With Massachusetts in the midst of an extremely dry fall, much of the state has been under a red flag warning at times over recent weeks. The entire state is in some sort of drought designation, and the "severe drought" portion rose to nearly 70% last week.
Since Sept. 1, most of southern New England has received between 6-9" below the average amount of rainfall. Boston and Worcester have a chance to have their driest falls ever recorded.
Hundreds of acres of land have burned throughout Massachusetts due to brush fires that have spread quickly thanks to windy and dry conditions.
A Dorchester man was arrested earlier this month for allegedly starting a large brush fire in Milford.