By George P. Hassett

A partially built house at the corner of Medford and Trull Streets that had been an eyesore for neighbors and a headache for city officials is the subject of an arson investigation after a fire there early Monday morning.

Standing in front of the home at 492 Medford St. on Monday Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher said the building’s status as vacant made arson a possibility.

“The State Police are definitely looking at arson as a possible cause,” he said. “The house was vacant, there was no electricity and as far as we know there had not been anybody working there.”

Firefighter Lt. Mark Wall was on his way to work at Engine 3 in Union Square when he saw a fiery glow inside the building and called the fire in at 6:45 a.m., Kelleher said.

‚ÄúHad [Wall] not been so observant, we wouldn’t have noticed the fire until smoke was billowing out of the building and more damage was done. The fire and the damage would have been much more severe,‚Äù he said.

The fire burned primarily on the first floor but also caused some damage to the second floor, Kelleher said.

The property that sits between Magoun Square and Henry O. Hansen Memorial Park had been a source of contention in the neighborhood for years as its owner Rocco Polino angered neighbors by repeatedly violating city zoning laws.

In 2003, Polino was twice rejected by the Zoning Board of Appeals when he tried to build a laundromat and then a two-family home on the property. When Polino did receive approval from the board to build a single-unit home in July 2004 he instead reverted to his original plan and began to construct a multi-family unit, according to city officials.

A stop work order was issued when Inspectional Services discovered the ruse and the property has sat vacant and unfinished ever since.

Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O’Donovan and Alderman-at-Large William A. White last month scheduled a Public Safety Committee meeting for Feb. 12 to discuss the property and what legal action the city could take against Polino. City Solicitor John Gannon was invited to attend by O’Donovan.

‚ÄúThe city needs to take legal action to require this man to conform to the zoning,‚Äù O’Donovan said at a Jan. 10 Board of Aldermen meeting.

Eight days before the public safety meeting, 492 Medford St. caught fire.

‚ÄúIt’s been a problem property,‚Äù said Dan Maher who operates a stained glass business across the street. ‚ÄúNow there is a fire a week before the public safety meeting? That makes me suspicious. Everyone I talk to in the neighborhood is suspicious,‚Äù he said.

A Trull Street man who would not give his name said he saw people moving things out of the home last week. “Someone definitely lit that house up,” he said.

Kelleher said investigators plan on speaking with Polino but have been unable to contact him. He said the cause of the fire is still undetermined.