A fire was allegedly set in the lobby of the police department in Westborough, Massachusetts, on Sunday night, and police say they have detained a person of interest.
The city's fire and police chiefs released a joint statement saying firefighters were called to the Westborough Police Department around 8:20 p.m. for a fire in the station, located at 45 West Main Street.
The police station was evacuated, and firefighters arrived within minutes, finding heavy smoke in the lobby and a smoldering fire that was being held in check by the building's sprinkler systems. Crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze and ventilate the building, officials said.
A thorough search including K9 units and police drones was conducted, officials said, and a person of interest was ultimately located. They were taken into custody but their name is not being released at this time.
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Officials did not say how they identified a person of interest, or what the motive was.
No one was injured in the ordeal, and policing operations, including patrol, remain operational, officials said.
There was minimal fire damage to the police department, officials said, but the sprinkler system caused significant water damage, that the fire chief has estimated at $250,000.
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The incident remains under investigation by the Westborough fire and police departments, the state fire marshal’s office and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
