PARIS – A former firefighter with the Roxbury Fire Department pleaded not guilty to an arson charge Friday.

Joseph Gallant, 26, of Rainbow Lane in Roxbury, was indicted on the charge in June. He is free on $500 bail.

Gallant is charged with setting fire to a building at 6 Old Country Road in Roxbury. According to a report by state fire investigator Christopher Stanford, Gallant reported the fire and was the first responding firefighter to the blaze at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 30.

The burned residence had been vacant since Nov. 25, when a family moved out. Gallant voluntarily resigned from the department during the investigation.