CAMBRIDGE, MD – A 37-year-old woman from Cambridge has been arrested and charged following an investigation conducted by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The incident began when Rescue Fire Company Cambridge responded to a residential structure fire at 800 Slacum Street on Saturday at 6:54 PM.
Firefighters arrived at the scene to find a single-story, wood-framed single-family dwelling with a small fire inside. It took a team of 25 firefighters approximately 30 minutes to bring the fire under control.
Due to the nature of the fire, Rescue Fire Company requested assistance from the Office of the State Fire Marshal to conduct an origin and cause investigation. The Deputy State Fire Marshal assigned to the case determined that the fire had been deliberately set in a hallway closet, classifying it as an act of arson. Although the home was equipped with functioning smoke alarms, it did not have a fire sprinkler system installed.
The property, owned by Mary Barnes, suffered an estimated $90,000.00 worth of damage to both the structure and its contents.
Following a brief investigation, Crystal Barnes, 37, was identified as the individual responsible for setting the fire. She was subsequently arrested and presented before a Dorchester County Court Commissioner, who ordered her to be held without bond. Barnes now faces charges of 1st and 2nd Degree Arson.