GREENFIELD — A 57-year-old man has been ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing in Greenfield District Court after police say he tried to set fire to an apartment, with family members inside, on Bayberry Court Friday.

Willie M. Nero was arrested on charges of attempted arson of a dwelling and disorderly conduct. He was arraigned in Greenfield District Court Tuesday and is being held in the Franklin County jail until a dangerousness hearing Friday. He pleaded not guilty.

According to a report by Greenfield police officer Jason Kratz, officers were dispatched to a residence on Bayberry Court for a report of a disturbance involving Nero, who was reportedly spraying lighter fluid into the apartment occupied by his family members and attempting to set it on fire.

The reporting party told police that Nero, who was visiting from Springfield, had left on foot and was intoxicated.

Three of Nero’s family members told officers that Nero had been drinking beer throughout the afternoon and opened the rear door to the apartment, sprayed charcoal lighter fluid on the floor and tried to light it with a cigarette lighter. Two of the occupants told police they confronted him, knocked the lighter out of his hand and pushed him out of the apartment before he could set it on fire.

Kratz wrote in his report that he observed two bottles of charcoal lighter fluid and multiple empty cans of Natural Ice beer on the rear concrete porch. Officers checked the surrounding area, but were unable to locate Nero. He was later found on Aster Court and taken into custody, according to the report.

Kratz wrote he could smell a strong odor of alcohol on Nero’s breath during booking and that he was unsteady on his feet, had slurred speech and repeated himself a number of times.

Nero denied spraying the lighter fluid in the apartment and police did not locate the lighter on him during an inventory, according to the report.

Bail was set at $1,000 following Nero’s arrest and he was held at the Franklin County jail pending bail.

The Greenfield Fire Department responded to the residence and found no cause to evacuate the apartment, according to the report.