09/24/2026
Last week we unveiled the new Capt Kevin Ord Square sign at the Willow St and Park St intersection. Ord was a Navy veteran and long time firefighter who was a key member of the Arson Task Force in the 1990s. Here is a brief snippet from my research that will be published later.
"It was during this time that the city’s arson rate was ballooning, and an Arson Task Force was formed with various federal, state, and local government partners. The formation of the Lawrence Arson Task Force was announced on May 28, 1992, after 137 arson fires had occurred in the previous five months. Most of the fires were in vacant buildings. During its most active period (May 30 to October 31, 1992) the Arson Task Force made a total of twenty-six arrests. Ord was at the tip of the spear conducting hundreds of fire investigations through 1992 working as an arson investigator with the task force. When it came to fire investigations, ‘he was considered one of the best’ said fellow firefighter William Pierce.”
More information about Ord’s life can be found here: https://queencityma.wordpress.com/2026/09/16/kevin-j-ord-square/