Maryland State Fire Marshal

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's office is investigating a fire Tuesday morning that caused $500 in damages to 1992 Ford Explorer in the 100 block of Sentry Ridge, according to a news release. The fire, which occurred about 6:34 a.m., started around the driver side, the dash and the passenger compartment, according to the news release. The fire was out when fire officials arrived, the release from the State Fire Marshal's office said.

A Funkstown man has been charged by Maryland and Hagerstown fire officials with posing as a fire marshal after allegedly pretending to conduct safety inspections at five Washington County businesses. Johnathan Theodore Stahley, 22, of 102 E. Baltimore St., was charged by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office with four counts of personation: member of an emergency squad, according to the statement of charges obtained Tuesday from Washington County District Court. The State Fire Marshal's Office also charged Stahley with one count of theft of $1,000 to $10,000.

The number of fatal fires in Maryland increased in 2011, but fewer people died in those blazes than in 2010, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office. There were 56 fatal fires in 2011, compared with 50 in 2010, Maryland State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard said in a news release. Sixty-seven people died in fires in 2011, compared with 71 in 2010, according to the release. There was one fatal fire in Washington County. Delbert G. Summerville, 88, of 12809 The Terrace in Hagerstown, died Feb. 23, 2011, one day after being trapped in the basement of his burning home.

WALKERSVILLE, Md. - A fire in a recycling bin at Walkersville High School Wednesday afternoon was deliberately set, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office. A teacher walking by a classroom at 3:45 p.m., just after school was dismissed, spotted the fire. The teacher carried the bin outside, preventing the fire from spreading, fire marshals said. The bin contained discarded newspapers, fire marshals said. Damage, confined to the bin, was set at $30.

Four more people have been arrested and charged in connection with a recent string of intentionally set fires in Washington and Frederick counties, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office announced Wednesday. Jacob Hess, 18, and Joshua Hess, 19, both of Clear Spring, as well as Sarah Couch, 18, and Brandy Sneider-Koontz, 19, both of Mercersburg, Pa., were being held at Washington County Detention Center on numerous arson-related charges, the fire marshal's office said in a news release.

SHARPSBURG - A 15-year-old boy suffered second-degree burns to his lower legs Thursday in a fire in the 3000 block of Limekiln Road, according to a press release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal. The boy was playing with gasoline that had been poured on the ground about 6 p.m. when the fire began, the fire marshal said. The boy was taken to Washington County Hospital and transferred to a burn center, the fire marshal said. Units from the Potomac Valley and Sharpsburg fire departments responded.

Damage was estimated at $4,000 in a shed fire early Saturday at 10028 Old National Pike, according to a press release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office. About $1,000 worth of furniture was destroyed in the fire, which "heavily damaged" the 12-foot-by-12-foot wood storage shed, Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray said. Firefighters from Funkstown and Boonsboro responded to the blaze, which was reported at 3:28 a.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation, Mowbray said.

SMITHSBURG - Firefighters from eight departments responded Friday night to a blaze at a farmhouse off Kiefer Funk Road near Bovey Lane, according to Washington County emergency dispatchers. Emergency officials said units were dispatched at 9:02 p.m., and there were no reports of injuries. Volunteer firefighters from Smithsburg, Mount Aetna, Funkstown, Boonsboro, Fairplay, Halfway and Leitersburg, along with personnel from Hagerstown Fire Department, Washington County's emergency air units, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office and Community Rescue Service responded, officials said.

HANCOCK - A fire in 50 bags of cement on a pallet at a construction site Sunday night is under investigation by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office. Fire Marshal Bruce Shafer responded to Berm Road near U.S. 522 at 6:48 p.m. after he was alerted by Hancock firefighters. Also responding were Hancock Police, a Maryland park ranger and the C&O Canal police. A passer-by saw the fire and called authorities. Damage was estimated at about $500.

A Funkstown man has been charged by Maryland and Hagerstown fire officials with posing as a fire marshal after allegedly pretending to conduct safety inspections at five Washington County businesses. Johnathan Theodore Stahley, 22, of 102 E. Baltimore St., was charged by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office with four counts of personation: member of an emergency squad, according to the statement of charges obtained Tuesday from Washington County District Court. The State Fire Marshal's Office also charged Stahley with one count of theft of $1,000 to $10,000.

A fire caused $200 in damages Saturday to a one-story log house that was under construction on Old Forge Road near Smithsburg, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said. The fire was discovered by the Smithsburg deputy fire chief at 10:36 p.m. in the 22000 block of Old Forge Road, according to a fire marshal's office news release. Authorities said the fire started accidentally when rags used to stain logs spontaneously combusted. The fire was out when firefighters arrived.

A malfunctioning hot tub pump caused a fire that displaced the owner of a trailer Monday morning on West Poplar Street in Funkstown, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said. The fire destroyed the residence, causing an estimated $30,000 in damages to the structure and $5,000 in damages to the contents, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. The trailer was located at 20 W. Poplar St., Lot No. 19. Authorities said the fire, which was reported at 7:51 a.m. by a neighbor, started in an attached enclosed room.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said it was investigating the cause of a minor fire that was reported early Sunday at an apartment building at 42 W. Potomac St. in Williamsport. The fire started when someone set combustible clothing on fire that was being stored near the sidewalk of the building, according to a news release from the fire marshal's office. The fire, which was reported at 3:49 a.m. by a neighbor, caused an estimated $200 in damages. Authorities said the fire was extinguished before firefighters arrived.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office was investigating the cause of a fire that caused $10,000 in damage to a 2008 Mercedes Benz in western Washington County on Sunday morning, according to a news release. The fire at 13700 Orchard Ridge Road was discovered by a passer-by and reported at 4:42 a.m. Sunday, the release states. That area is southeast of Hancock, north of Interstate 70. Anyone with information about the incident may call the state fire marshal's office at 301-766-3888.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said it was investigating a fire that caused $200,000 in damages to a house early Wednesday at 21201 Reno Monument Road near Boonsboro. The fire, which was reported by a passer-by shortly after 3 a.m., destroyed the house, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. Damages to the structure were estimated at $150,000. The fire caused $50,000 in damages to the contents. Authorities said 65 firefighters from Boonsboro, Sharpsburg, Middletown, Myersville, Wolfsville and Potomac Valley took 15 minutes to control the blaze.

A fire Monday evening caused $100,000 in damages to a two-story house at 13156 Draper Road near Clear Spring, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said Tuesday. It took 73 firefighters took about 40 minutes to get the blaze under control, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. Authorities said the fire, which was discovered by a neighbor at 8:11 p.m., caused $85,000 in damages to the structure and $15,000 in damages to the contents. The one-alarm fire started in the attic, according to the release.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said it was investigating a fire that caused $3,000 in damages to a car Saturday night in the 20100 block of Hogmaw Road near Keedysville. The fire started in the interior passenger compartment of a 1996 Chevrolet Beretta that was parked in the 20100 block of Hogmaw Road, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. The fire was reported by the owner at 10:50 p.m. Saturday. It took 14 firefighters about 10 minutes to get it under control, the release says.

A Monday morning fire that started on a bed caused $25,000 in damages to a single-story house at 103 Crest View Road near Hagerstown, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said. The fire, which was discovered by the occupant at 5:07 a.m., caused $20,000 in damage to the structure and $5,000 in damage to the contents, according to a Fire Marshal's Office news release. The Fire Marshal's Office said the fire was out when firefighters from Funkstown and Hagerstown arrived. Authorities said smoke detectors were present and operating.

Bond hearings were held Thursday for three of four people charged Wednesday by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office in connection with a series of arsons in Washington County on the night of March 22 and 24. Two Clear Spring men and two Mercersburg, Pa., women were charged, their arrests bringing the number of people accused in the arson spree between March 17 and April 7 to eight, Washington County District Court records said. The bond on Brandy Lynnett Sneider-Koontz, 19, of 10733 Knob Road, Mercersburg, Pa., was reduced from $120,000 to $65,000 during a bond review before District Judge Mark D. Thomas.