NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Monday's fatal fire has been deemed an arson and the son of the victims has been arrested in their deaths. 

 

Darius Hazard, 44, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Tuesday on one count of arson in the fire that led to the deaths of his parents, Donald Hazard, 83, and Venture Hazard, 76.

 

He was also arrested on murder charges. He will be arraigned on Wednesday morning on those counts in Northern Berkshire District Court.

 

The fire was reported at about 7 a.m. on Monday morning at 77 Francis St., where Hazard was living with his parents. Firefighters responded to a call that there individuals still in the building and, on entry, found the couple already deceased.  

 

A BOLO (be on the lookout) for Darius Hazard was issued just before 9 a.m. as it was reported he had not shown up for work, according to scanner reports. 

 

The Berkshire District Attorney's Office said he was taken into custody Monday afternoon. 

 

He confessed that in the early morning hours of Monday, Nov. 24, he physically assaulted his parents inside their home. Following the physical assault, he also confessed, according to the DA's Office, that he poured gasoline on the first floor of the home and set the house ablaze.

 

The  reported this took place between 3 and 4 a.m. After allegedly setting the house aflame, he drove away, according to the DA's Office. 

 

The 911 call was placed by a neighbor at approximately 7:11 a.m. reporting a possible structure fire at 77 Francis. Police were the first to arrive on the scene and an officer noted immense heat coming from the residence and attempted to make contact with individuals inside. 

 

Firefighters responded shortly after immediately entered the residence to find the two individuals both deceased. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death for both Venture and Donald Hazard was smoke inhalation.

 

While responding to the scene for the fire, law enforcement learned that a third individual, Darius Hazard, also resided in the house; however, he was not present at the scene and his car was missing.  

 

According to the statement from the DA's Office, there was a dry spot indicating where he vehicle had been parked and, on contacting his work, fellow employees noted it was extremely unusual for Hazard to be late, as he was always prompt for his shift. 

 

At approximately 2 p.m., a State Police detective observed a vehicle matching that of the Hazard's traveling south on Route 8 in North Adams. The vehicle had pulled into the Walmart parking lot, and the license plate number confirmed the vehicle belonged to the defendant. At that point, law enforcement approached the vehicle and brought Hazard into custody without incident.

 

The Hazards, originally from Minnesota, purchased the Francis Street home in 1991. Darius Hazard is a 1999 graduate of Drury High School and earned a bachelor's degree from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2003.

 

"I'd first like to recognize the tremendous courage of the North Adams firefighters as they entered the house without hesitation in hopes of recovering the residents inside," said DA Timothy Shugrue. "Responding to this type of situation is harrowing and has lasting impacts on first responders. I am thankful for their dedication to this difficult work."

 

The DA said his thoughts were with the Hazard family.