New Bedford Property Owners Held in Contempt for Fire Safety Violations

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The owners of two commercial properties in New Bedford were recently held in contempt of court after failing to comply when their properties were put on court-ordered fire safety watch, with one of the owners actually being held at the Bristol County House of Correction as a result.

“We do these things not to pick on property owners or people who are investing in the city, but we have a densely-populated city, where we take fire risk very seriously,” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said in his weekly appearance on WBSM. “Sometimes we have to bring people in front of the housing court if they don’t comply.”

“We have a number of factory buildings in the city and a lot of them are mill buildings,” he said. “The fire department is very conscientious about going in there and doing inspections, and they do a really good job with it. But we have some commercial property owners that are not willing, that don’t take their obligation to keep their building safe seriously.”

Get our free mobile app

Edward McPherson Contempt Ruling

Southeast Housing Court Judge Donna Salvidio held Edward McPherson of Marshfield, the owner of the former Chamberlain Manufacturing buildings on King Street, in contempt of court on August 15, which the City of New Bedford called “the latest in a long line of fire safety and legal actions between the building owner and the New Bedford Fire Department dating back to 2022.”

McPherson’s Proactive Philanthropy Inc. has been “repeatedly cited for fire safety violations,” the City said, for the buildings that are part of the former munitions factory that made shell casing for artillery rounds until the late 1980s.

“At nearly 1.7 million square feet combined, the buildings pose potential risks to nearby residences and businesses in the event of a fire,” the City said. “NBFD inspectors have documented nonfunctioning fire alarm panels and missing fire alarm and sprinkler system tests.”

During his WBSM appearance, Mitchell said there are a lot of developers “keeping an eye on those buildings,” and that he wants “to see them redeveloped, not see them burn down.”

READ MORE: Chamberlain Could House Luxury Apartments

If those buildings go up, it’s going to cause a problem for that whole neighborhood over there, and a whole lot else, so we’re pretty strict with him,” Mitchell said.

On March 4, 2024, after years of hearings and failed inspections, Judge Salvidio ordered McPherson to maintain a 24/7 fire safety watch. During a visit on October 10, 2024, New Bedford Fire Department inspectors documented that there was no fire watch in place. As a result, Judge Salvidio ordered McPherson on October 23, 2024, to hire a third-party security company to monitor the property, and issued additional guidelines for the overnight fire watch in November 2024.

READ MORE: Dartmouth Explosion Injures Resident, Kills Dog

During several visits in April and May of 2025, the NBFD inspectors found no fire watch was in effect, and after they testified to that fact in a May 2025 hearing, Judge Salvidio found McPherson in contempt and ordered him “to submit a plan to fund a professional fire watch or consider appointing a receiver to manage it,” according to the City. He was also warned that failure to comply could result in him being sent to the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth.

When McPherson still did not comply, Judge Salvidio ordered him to be held in the House of Correction on August 15. After arranging an $8,000 payment, he was released on August 18.

Mitchell said it is rare that a housing court judge locks up a property owner for contempt.

“It doesn’t happen too much in Massachusetts Housing Court,” he said. “That got his attention, so he’s got a fire watch in there now. Hopefully, those buildings will be sold to someone more responsible.”

What Is a Fire Watch?

According to Mayor Mitchell, “Fire watch means somebody’s got to sit on the building for 24 hours a day to make sure it doesn’t burn down.” Someone has to continuously patrol and monitor the property and inspect it for signs of fire or fire hazards.

READ MORE: Victim, Cause Identified in Fatal Middleboro Fire

He said sometimes it can be a private entity of the owner’s choosing, but then if they don’t comply, fire department personnel will have to be placed there at the property owner’s expense.

According to Mitchell, the firefighters get roughly $50 per hour for the detail, and with two of them watching a property 24 hours a day, that can really add up for the owner.

Another Property Owner Found in Contempt Over Fire Watch

McPherson wasn’t the only property owner required to have a fire watch on his property. In an unrelated case, Judge Salvidio found Calton Neves in contempt on August 29 for failing to comply with court-ordered fire watch at his buildings on 12 and 19 Coffin Avenue in the North End, the former Star Plating business. The City had filed a complaint in June “after numerous fire safety violations,” according to the City, “including nonfunctioning sprinkler systems and improper storage of hazardous materials.”

The City said that “the NBFD is currently performing fire watch at Neves’ expense, posting two firefighters around the clock every day until the property owner complies with the court order.”

Mitchell: Neighborhoods Safer Today as a Result

“I am grateful for Judge Salvidio’s willingness to hold these property owners accountable for failing to comply with basic fire safety requirements,” Mitchell said. “The residents of both North End neighborhoods are safer today as a result of the court’s decision, and the diligent efforts of our fire department and solicitor’s office.”