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Beverly Man Pleads Not Guilty To Setting $2M Fire

A 19-year-old Beverly man has pleaded not guilty to setting a Sunday night fire that destroyed two houses under construction and damaged eight occupied homes.

Zackary Pavia sits behind a partition during his arraignment in Salem District Court on Thursday. (The Salem News/Ken Yuszkus/Pool)
Zackary Pavia sits behind a partition during his arraignment in Salem District Court on Thursday. (The Salem News/Ken Yuszkus/Pool)

Zackary Pavia was arraigned Thursday in Salem District Court on 10 counts of arson and other charges including trespassing. He is held until a dangerousness hearing July 25.

Prosecutor Heidi Sylvanowicz said Pavia and two younger teens got into the empty, unfinished Beverly house and smoked marijuana, then Pavia returned with a blow torch and set the fire. He allegedly watched the blaze and laughed about it. The 15-year-old and 17-year-old will be summoned to court on juvenile accessory and trespassing charges.

The fire spread to another unfinished house, and damaged other occupied houses on the same cul-de-sac. No one was injured.

The state Fire Marshal estimated damage at $2 million.

This article was originally published on July 17, 2014.

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