A Massachusetts man is facing arson charges in connection with a fire that destroyed a building that was once home to a popular bar in Hanson, Massachusetts.
Alfred Russo, 75, of Bourne, was arrested Wednesday by Massachusetts State Police in connection with the July 5 fire at the abandoned commercial property on Liberty Street, according to the Plymouth District Attorney's Office. The property was once home to JJ's Pub.
The 3-alarm fire took crews a few hours to extinguish. Two firefighters were hospitalized with a heat-related illness while working to put out the flames.
The building was deemed a total loss.
The district attorney said while the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation, authorities determined that the cause was ruled incendiary. As a result, police obtained a criminal complaint charging Russo of with one count of burning of a dwelling and two counts of arson causing injuries to a firefighter.
Authorities said Russo served as a member of the Boston Fire Department from 1969 until 1995, when he retired as a firefighter assigned to the Marine Unit.
Russo pleaded not guilty to the charges at Plymouth District Court and was released on personal recognizance. He was ordered to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.
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Russo is due back in court Oct. 5.
