Officials said there is no evidence linking the fire to other recent suspicious fires in the North End.
SPRINGFIELD -- Investigators with the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad and the State Fire Marshal’s office have determined the blaze that destroyed the former Chestnut Street Jr. High School on the morning of Sept. 3 was deliberately set.
“It’s a definite set fire,” said Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant.
Officials made the announcement outside the now mostly-demolished school. The cost to clear the site has been estimated at $1 to $1.5 million, Leger said.
Investigators are offering up to a $5,000 reward through the confidential Arson Watch reward program for information leading to the conviction of those who were responsible for the fire.
Two fires were set inside the sprawling structure at 495 Chestnut St. -- one near the front of the building and the other in the rear of what Leger described as an “adjoining structure.”
The building, closed since 2004, has no electricity and investigators checked with the National Weather Service to rule out the possibility of lightning strikes.
The blaze was reported shortly before 2 a.m. Several firefighters suffered minor injuries while fighting the fire from the exterior, Leger said.
State Trooper Michael Mazza, who is attached to the Fire Marshal's office, said accelerant sniffing K-9s were brought into the remains of the structure after the blaze. However, their ability to probe the scene was compromised due to the extent of the damage.
While the dogs did not detect anything, that does not rule out the possibility that an accelerant was used, Mazza said.
Those with information on the fire are asked to call 1-800-682-9229 or (413) 787-6370. Rewards through the program are funded by a pool of insurance companies, Leger said.
Both Leger and Mazza said there is no evidence linking the fire to other recent suspicious fires in the North End, including one on Chestnut Street earlier this summer just down the street from the school.