ITEM PHOTO BY DAVID WILSON
The Lynn Fire Department, Lynn Police and EMS respond Thursday night to a scene at 16 Newhall St.
By THOMAS GRILLO and THOR JOURGENSEN
LYNN — A 24-year-old woman is being held without bail after police say she set fire to an apartment she shared following a domestic dispute.
Raynotte Bradford, a tenant at 16 Newall St., is charged with arson of a dwelling house. She was arraigned Friday in Lynn District Court and pleaded not guilty.
Police say they were called to the six-story building at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday on a report that Bradford had doused her clothing with gasoline and threatened to light herself on fire.
When police arrived, they learned that Clint Ambrosie, 33, had tried to break up with Bradford and wanted her out of the apartment they shared, according to a police report.
The report said that Ambrosie had decided to leave the apartment for the night to avoid an argument, allowing Bradford to stay.
Officers knocked on the apartment door and a female voice responded, “I have a knife. So open the door so I can stab you and you will (shoot) me,” the report said.
An officer reached the apartment using the building’s fire escape to access an unsecured window, and noticed that the apartment door was on fire. At that point, officers outside the apartment door forced it open, the report said.
Upon entering the apartment, officers reportedly found Bradford in the bedroom holding a large knife that was silhouetted by more fire in the background.
Police ordered Bradford to drop the knife and she did so on the third request. She was pulled from the bedroom, handcuffed and led out of the building.
Officers attempted to extinguish the fire in the apartment, but were unsuccessful due to the large volume of smoke. At that point, the Lynn Fire Department took over to extinguish the flames.
Several officers were treated at Union Hospital for smoke inhalation and residents were evacuated from the building.
Lynn District Fire Chief Stephen Archer said the small blaze was put out by firefighters just after midnight.
“There was quite a bit of smoke on the upper floors; our guys did a great job putting this fire out,” he said. “Damage is confined to the apartment the unit below.”
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Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].
