Fire investigators say she tried to burn down her Hagerstown home.
(Hagerstown, Md.) (KM) A Hagestown woman has been arrested for intentionally setting her home on fire. The Hagerstown Fire Marshal’s Office says Cierra Nicole White, 31, is charged with 1st-degree arson, along with other arson offenses, and several counts of attempted murder and reckless endangerment.
Fire fighters with the Hagerstown Fire Department responded to 49 Avalon Avenue in the at around 2:42 AM Friday, July eighth for a building fire with occupants trapped. Several children were home at the time of the blaze. But prior to their arrival, a passerby helped with removing the kids from the apartment building.
Fire fighters conducted a search of the building and found a woman in her second-story unit. She was removed from her home.
Two people were transported to Meritus Medical Center for evaluation for smoke inhalation, where they were treated and released, according to the Fire Marshal’s Office in a statement.
The Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation, and determined the blaze was intentionally set in a second-floor bedroom. Accelerants were used to start the blaze, according to fire investigators. “Most disturbing was that the fire was set with several juveniles in the neighboring bedrooms,” says the Hagerstown Fire Marshal’s Office in a statement.
White is currently being held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center.
34 fire fighters from the Hagerstown Fire Department, as well as the Washington County Special Operations Air Unit, Rehab Unit and Community Rescue Service, responded to the scene. They cleared by 8:00 AM.
The fire caused a moderate amount of damage to the apartment building, officials say.