Doris Ricard, age 49, of 56 Tyler Street, Apartment 501, Nashua

NASHUA – The Saturday evening apartment fire that filled the fifth floor of Sullivan Terrace North with smoke and forced elderly and disabled residents from their homes was intentionally set, police and fire officials said Monday.

Within an hour of firefighters’ arrival at 56 Tyler St., where they found “a heavy smoke condition on the fifth floor,” officers had Doris Ricard, a resident of Apartment 501, in custody on charges of arson, a Class A felony, and reckless conduct, a Class B felony, police said.

Ricard, 49, was transported to police headquarters for booking, then ordered housed in jail on preventive detention pending arraignment, which is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today at Hillsborough County Superior Court-South.

Nashua Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Glen MacDonald said the firefighters responded shortly after 5:30 p.m. to 56 Tyler St., one of two eight-story Nashua Housing Authority apartment buildings that sit on either side of Tyler Street.

The activation of the building’s fire alarm system summoned crews to the scene, MacDonald said. The alarm panel indicated a possible fire on the fifth floor, where the crews of Engine and Ladder 2 were met with heavy smoke conditions.

MacDonald said they traced the fire to Apartment 501, and were able to quickly extinguish the blaze.

Meanwhile, other crews searched the fifth floor, where they found two people in wheelchairs and moved them to safety, MacDonald said.

As evacuated residents and passersby looked on, firefighters set up large fans to evacuate the smoke from the building.

Residents were permitted to return to their apartments once the smoke was cleared. No injuries were reported, MacDonald said.

In the meantime, police and representatives of the Fire Marshal’s office had “obtained information that indicated Ricard had (allegedly) purposely started a fire inside her apartment … placing other occupants in danger,” police said.

Anyone with any additional information on the incident are asked to contact police on the department’s Crimeline at 603-589-1665.

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256, or at dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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