Firefighters Suspect Arson In Two Early Morning Fires

Two fires early yesterday morning caused severe damage to the Margaret Fuller House, a neighborhood center in Cambridge where Harvard student volunteers began working last week to organize an after-school teenage drop-in center.

Cambridge Fire Chief Daniel J. Reagan said yesterday that the fires--which occurred at 12:50 a.m. and 6:27 a.m.--"appeared to be of suspicious origin," and added that fire fighters smelled paint or turpentine at the scene, which might have been used to start the fires. The Cambridge Arson Squad and the state Fire Marshall's Office are investigating the fires, he said.

Lorraine Y. Scott, a member of the Margaret Fuller House Board of Directors and former program director, said yesterday that she thought fires may be part of a planned attack on the house. The fires were "very indicative of something on a large scale," she said, adding. "It wasn't just a vandalism act by a kid, there's a reason behind it."

Scott said vandals had broken into the house in the past to sleep there but that the use of gasoline indicated organized destruction.

She refused to name any specific people or groups who might be responsible for the fires.

Damage

The fires destroyed much of the interior of the top two floors of the house, but the outside walls remained mostly intact. Most of the windows on the top two floors were smashed and mounds of wet ash and burnt furniture littered the third floor. Water also leaked through a hole in the ceiling and may have damaged the first floor kitchen.

Despite the damage, Gloria Smith, recently hired program director of the house, which was the birthplace of 19th century feminist and journalist Margaret Fuller, said yesterday that programs would continue at the house.

Full Steam Ahead

Smith met yesterday to discuss the fires with Donald H. Gips '83, president of Phillips Brooks House Association (PBH), which has recruited student volunteers for the house. Gips said after the meeting that the teen center would open as planned in November.

Michael Foster '83, chairman of the Margaret Fuller House Committee at PBH, said after the fire, "We're still going." Foster, who is recruiting students for the teenage center, said the center will provide some organized activities such as athletics and dancing, and cooking and photography lessons.