WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) - A fire at a closed hospital that once housed developmentally disabled children and that is currently the site of a charity holiday lights show was deliberately set, officials said Thursday.
The fire, which was reported by security shortly before midnight Wednesday, caused extensive damage to the basement of the administration building at the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center in Waltham, according to a statement from fire Chief Thomas MacInnis and state Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey.
Anyone with information is asked to call the state’s arson hotline.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.
The 196-acre site closed in 2014 and has been largely unused since. It is owned by the city.
It is currently hosting a holiday light show organized by the Waltham Lions Club that has been criticized as disrepectful to the children who were once neglected, abused and warehoused at the site.
Waltham Deputy Fire Chief Roger Hebert said the fire was not caused by the light show.
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