Tenant Group Calls Fire Suspicious

A Cambridge tenant advocacy group this week called for an investigation of the fire that gutted a Central Square building last Friday, suggesting that the blaze may have been set intentionally.

Bill B. Cunningham, a member of the Eviction Free Zone (EFZ), told City Council members Monday night that he suspected arson as the cause of Friday night's fire.

"This owner [Rothman] is believed by many people in the city of Cambridge to be one who burns his own buildings," Cunningham said. "I ask that an effort be made to assemble the records of the owner's past damaged property."

Cunningham said Rothman could stand to gain from destroying the rent-controlled property and then redeveloping it in a more profitable way.

Any new construction at 1 Coolidge Pl. would not be subject to rent-control laws, according to John F. Natale, a member and former co-chair of Cambridge's Small Property Owners Association.

But George Rothman, the owner of the building, denied arson was a cause of the fire, adding that he expected financial loss as a result of the fire.

"I'm facing substantial loss as far as the value of the property is concerned," Rothman said.

Rothman said that because his insurance would only pay the assessed value of the property, not its replacement value, he stood to lose at least $200,000.

Deputy Fire Chief Gerald Reardon said yesterday that while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, police had found nothing that indicated arson as a possible cause.

"There is no glaring evidence of a suspicious fire in the kind of flames or smoke observed," said Deputy Fire Chief Reardon. "Nothing jumps out at us and says that it's suspicious."

Reardon said he did not think there was a pattern of burned buildings owned by Rothman. "If it was a pattern we would have seen it long ago," Reardon said.

Reardon also said he did not think the owner would recoup his losses with the insurance policy on the building.

Reardon said the fire started in the rear of the building in a furniture refinishing store on the first floor.

But Rothman said he believes the blaze was caused by a "careless tenant."

"The fire didn't start till 11 p.m.," Rothman said. "Everyone was out of [the store]by 6."

Reardon said it does not appear thatcombustible materials within the store played arole in the fire. All flammable, solvent-basedpaints were removed from the store in 1990. Onlywater-based paints were in the store at the timeof the fire.

Reardon said the demolition of the buildingSaturday "has limited the scope of ourinvestigation."

But he said the demolition had to be done. "Thebuilding was structurally unsound and posed asever threat to caving in on Mass. Ave.," he said

Reardon said it does not appear thatcombustible materials within the store played arole in the fire. All flammable, solvent-basedpaints were removed from the store in 1990. Onlywater-based paints were in the store at the timeof the fire.

Reardon said the demolition of the buildingSaturday "has limited the scope of ourinvestigation."

But he said the demolition had to be done. "Thebuilding was structurally unsound and posed asever threat to caving in on Mass. Ave.," he said