SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) — The state fire marshal’s office says a Sharpsburg woman set fire to her house on the day she and her family were to be evicted in foreclosure proceedings.
Deputy State Fire Marshal Bruce Bouch said Wednesday that the 47-year-old woman will be charged with first-degree arson and other offenses after her release from a Baltimore hospital where she is being treated for first- and second-degree burns.
Bouch says investigators have determined that she ignited gasoline she had poured throughout the garage and ranch-style house Monday morning. He says her husband was at work and their two children were at school.
Bouch says the other family members weren’t aware of the looming eviction.
He says the fire killed a family dog and cat, and caused damage estimated at $208,000.
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