Homeless man charged in Springfield for arson and assaulting officer
According to a news release by the Springfield Fire Department, on April 24 at approximately 4:35 a.m., officers and firefighters received a report of a structure fire at the 200 block of Belmont Avenue.
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Firefighters quickly put out the flames on the rear porch of the home, while members of the Arson and Bomb Squad investigated and found a gasoline can nearby. Springfield Fire said that K-9 Gregg of the Arson Unit was able to detect accelerants and/or flammable liquids on the porch.
Later that day, at approximately 3:30 p.m., officers and firefighters were investigating an attempted arson at a residence on the 0-100 block of Buckingham Street. A suspect was believed to have poured gasoline inside the victim's apartment. Additional officers arrived to assist the investigators, and the team entered the apartment.
The Springfield Fire Department stated that crews could immediately smell gasoline inside the home and observed an individual, later identified as 30-year-old Nicholas Denson, who then escaped out of a back door. Denson was located promptly afterwards on State Street and reportedly shoved an officer before being arrested.
Nicholas Denson (Homeless) was charged with:
Arson of a Dwelling/House
Breaking and Entering into a Building- Daytime for a Felony
Attempted Arson of a Dwelling/House
Defacement of a Property
Assault and Battery on a Police Officer
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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