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Jessie Castellano

Boston Metropolitan Area

Worcester

Massachusetts

Investigators are "fairly confident'' that there is no connection between the Countryside Road fire on Friday and two previous fires on Airport and Hingham roads, a spokesman for the state fire marshal's office said this morning. "The circumstances are totally different,'' said Jennifer Mieth, spokesman for the state fire marshal's office. Within hours of the Jan. 13 fire on 23 Countryside Road, police arrested Joseph Mullen, 29, of Stowe Road. He was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony and arson of a dwelling. The house was a total loss and two dogs were killed in the fire, , and state fire officials have said. Mullen will appear in Westborough District Court today. The investigation into the fires on 6 Airport Road Jan. 2 and 1 Hingham Road Jan. 5 continues, Mieth said. It is "still too early to say if they are connected'' to each other, she said. The two houses are located within sight of each other in the same neighborhood. Some neighbors have expressed concerns that, while the Countryside Road fire was apparently solved quickly, the cause of the other two fires remains unknown. "Investigators go where the evidence leads'' them, she said. "Sometimes that happens quickly, sometimes not.'' She stressed that investigators continue to work to solve both fires.

Investigators are “fairly confident’’ that there is no connection between the Countryside Road fire on Friday and two previous fires on Airport and Hingham roads, a spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office said this morning.

“The circumstances are totally different,’’ said Jennifer Mieth, spokesman for the state fire marshal’s office. Within hours of the Jan. 13 fire on 23 Countryside Road, police arrested Joseph Mullen, 29, of Stowe Road. He was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony and arson of a dwelling.

The house was a total loss and two dogs were killed in the fire, , and state fire officials have said. Mullen will appear in Westborough District Court today. The investigation into the fires on 6 Airport Road Jan. 2 and 1 Hingham Road Jan. 5 continues, Mieth said.

It is “still too early to say if they are connected’’ to each other, she said. The two houses are located within sight of each other in the same neighborhood. Some neighbors have expressed concerns that, while the Countryside Road fire was apparently solved quickly, the cause of the other two fires remains unknown.

“Investigators go where the evidence leads’’ them, she said. “Sometimes that happens quickly, sometimes not.’’ She stressed that investigators continue to work to solve both fires.

MA Patch Team

Grafton

The two fires are still being investigated and are likely unconnected to the Friday blaze, the fire marshal's office reports.