PEABODY — Teandre Moore, 33, was arrested Tuesday for setting fire to his own apartment on 1 Main Street after being notified of the start of an eviction process.
Investigators determined that the fire must have been set intentionally, as there were no possible accidental ignition sources. The fire alarm sounding device in Moore’s apartment had been disabled.
The fire, which originated in a plastic wastebasket in the bathroom, remained small and did not result in any injuries.
“Setting a fire in a 20-unit apartment building, attempting to disable the fire alarms and then leaving, put every other resident in harm’s way,” said Peabody Fire Chief Joseph L. Daly. “Fortunately this fire stayed small, but all fires start small and can grow extremely fast.”
Peabody Police were on the scene at 9:15 a.m. to assist the Fire Department in their investigation. Eventually the investigation was taken over by the State Fire Marshal.
“The damage was really quite minor,” said Jennifer Mieth, The State Fire Marshal’s Public Information Officer. “But it could have easily gone the other way. It was mostly smoke damage.”
Moore is charged with one count of attempting to burn a building, one count of malicious destruction of personal property, one count of attempting to disable a fire alarm system, and one count of burning personal property to defraud insurance.
He was held overnight at the Danvers State Police Barracks.
Moore, who lives in the apartment alone, had been notified of the start of an eviction process for failure to pay rent.
He had recently obtained renter’s insurance on the unit.
The building, built in 1906 and located in Peabody Square, is owned by Todisco Properties.
Since the Baker-Polito administration allowed the Massachusetts moratorium on residential foreclosures and residential and small business evictions to expire on Oct. 17, weekly eviction filings for nonpayment of rent have risen above their pre-coronavirus pandemic level according to a November report from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.
The Housing Stability Act, which would have extended the eviction moratorium, stalled in the legislature in October.
In Peabody, there have been 14 eviction filings since the deadline.
“The team worked quickly and effectively to solve this case,” said Peabody Police Chief Thomas M. Griffin. “Many people may be facing similar difficult situations but setting a fire is not the answer.”
The case will be prosecuted by the Essex District Attorney’s Office.
North Shore residents with housing issues should contact North Shore Community Action Programs in Peabody for assistance, said a release from the state fire marshal.
Guthrie Scrimgeour can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @g_scrimgeour.
