Fire Investigators Charge Hyattsville Man with Arson (PHOTO)
PHOTO | MCFRS
Montgomery County fire investigators have charged a Hyattsville man with three counts of arson and reckless endangerment in connection with a fire at an apartment building in Gaithersburg.
According to a MCFRS news release, the fire was reported shortly after 7 a.m. on Monday at 9910 Walker House Road. When firefighters arrived on scene the fire had already been extinguished by an occupant of the apartment building.
Investigators said an eyewitness reported an individual leaving the trash room around the time the fire was discovered. Police were contacted and a suspect matching the witness description was located a short time later at the Gaithersburg Library, according to county fire officials.
While still at the scene of the trash room fire, investigators said they were alerted by other residents of small fires that occurred in the trash rooms of adjacent buildings as well. MCFRS fire investigators were called to the scene and confirmed the fires had been intentionally set in all three buildings.
As a result of the investigation, Montgomery County fire investigators arrested Theophilus Robinson, age 21, of Hyattsville, Maryland. He has been charged with three counts of arson in the first-degree and three counts of reckless endangerment.
The investigation is ongoing. Fire investigators indicate there have been multiple, and similar, fires in close proximity to Walker House Road in recent months, as well as in the greater Silver Spring area.
Anyone with information regarding Robinson, or any suspicious fires in the area, are asked to contact the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Arson Tip Line at 240.777.2263.
UPDATE MCFRS Fire/Explosive Investigators Arrest Hyattsville Man For Arson https://t.co/3k97s8KPAB #arson #firenews pic.twitter.com/CkBidrElRM
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 5, 2016
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