Suspicious fire damages Medford city building

By John M. Guilfoil and Matt Collette, Globe Correspondents

A suspicious fire that destroyed the Medford Water and Sewer Department building and the Italian-American War Veterans social club housed on the second floor may have been deliberately set in order to cover up an earlier theft of city vehicles and equipment yesterday, officials said.

The brick building, erected in the Depression era, was considered a total loss after the 4 a.m. fire on Saturday. No one was injured.

In an interview with the Globe, Medford Mayor Michael J. McGlynn said a pickup truck and compressors had been stolen from the building. Some of the equipment was later recovered in Somerville. Also lost in the fire were technical documents showing water pipe layouts all over Medford, some of which are irreplaceable, McGlynn said.

Fire officials including State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan are investigating the fire and have not made a definitive ruling yet.

“If you step back and look at everything and put all the pieces together, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a theft that was covered up by an arson,” McGlynn said.

The loss of the building, equipment, records, and the added expense of clearing the rubble adds to the frustration during already difficult economic times, McGlynn said. Not all of the equipment and property was insured.

“It’s very disheartening. It adds to the frustration,” McGlynn said. “Economics are directing where we’re headed as a community. We’re all facing cuts and shortages of funds, and now this adds a tremendous burden.”

The building is part of a city complex. McGlynn said Medford had been seeking federal stimulus dollars to renovate the complex – including rebuilding all the buildings except the one that burned down Saturday morning.

The Italian social club was destroyed with everything else in the building.

“I signed an agreement 20 years ago providing space for Italian vets and disabled American vets, and they are now both homeless. They just finished a major renovation of their entire floor. New kitchen and everything,” McGlynn said.

Investigators believe the fire may have been started in several locations in the two-story brick building, with the largest fire started at the corner of the building near the intersection of James and Swan streets, said Medford Deputy Fire Chief Martin Cunniff.

"The damage was very extensive," Cunniff said.

John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com

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