Maryland State Fire Marshal

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- A fire early Friday caused about $75,000 in damage to a four-unit apartment building on Virginia Avenue in Halfway, according to a press release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal. In a separate incident Thursday night, an accidental fire on Trego Mountain Road in Keedysville caused about $110,000 in damage to a single-family home, according to another Maryland State Fire Marshal press release. The Friday morning fire at 17745 Virginia Ave. was reported at 2:58 a.m. by someone passing by the apartment building, the fire marshal said.

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.

SMITHSBURG - An electrical fire Thursday afternoon caused about $20,000 in damages to a house near Smithsburg, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office said in a press release. The one-story single-family home at 11955 Comanche Drive caught fire just before 2:30 p.m., fire officials said. There were no injuries, officials said. Investigators pinpointed a ceiling fan in the bathroom as the origin of the fire. The fire also caused about $2,000 in damage to the contents of the house, officials said.

HANCOCK - A 19-year-old Hancock man whom the Maryland State Fire Marshal said helped three teens construct a "soda bottle bomb" was charged Wednesday with manufacturing a destructive device, according to officials. Shannon Dwayne Marshall, 19, was charged with three counts of contributing to the condition of a child and three counts of reckless endangerment, the fire marshal said. If convicted on all charges, Marshall could face 74 years in prison and a $500,000 fine. The fire marshal said Marshall helped three teens make seven exploding chemical devices Oct. 2. A Hancock Police Department officer responding to a fireworks complaint was injured when one of the devices exploded near him and he inhaled the fumes, the fire marshal said.

HPD to conduct sobriety checkpoint Officers from the Hagerstown Police Department will conduct a checkpoint to screen for drugged and drunken drivers this weekend, according to a press release. The police department did not release the location of the sobriety checkpoint. House fire damages Brunswick residence BRUNSWICK, Md. - No one was hurt in a fire that caused about $65,000 in damage to a two-story home in Brunswick, the Maryland State Fire Marshal said.

A family was displaced by a fire that destroyed a mobile home early Sunday, the Maryland State Fire Marshal said. No one was hurt in the blaze at 13725 Pennsylvania Ave., Lot 9, which was reported at 12:40 a.m. The fire caused about $20,000 in damage to the mobile home, which is owned by Laurie Smith, the Fire Marshal said. Thirty-eight firefighters from the Maugansville, Longmeadow, Greencastle, Pa., and Leitersburg fire departments needed 15 minutes to bring the fire under control.

HALFWAY - A fire caused about $75,000 in damage to a four-unit apartment building on Virginia Avenue early this morning, the Maryland State Fire Marshal said in a news release. About 30 firefighters responded to the fire at 17745 Virginia Ave. Someone passing by discovered the fire, which was reported at 2:58 a.m. The fire originated at an exterior rear porch, the fire marshal said. Firefighters from Halfway, Funkstown, Hagerstown, Williamsport and the Air Rehab Unit responded.

SMITHSBURG -- An electrical fire Thursday afternoon caused about $20,000 in damages to a house near Smithsburg, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office said in a press release. The one-story single-family home at 11955 Comanche Drive caught fire just before 2:30 p.m., fire officials said. There were no injuries, officials said. Investigators pinpointed a ceiling fan in the bathroom ceiling as the origin of the fire. The fire also caused about $2,000 in damage to the contents of the house, officials said.

WILLIAMSPORT - A fire Friday morning at a Williamsport home caused about $20,000 in damages, according to a press release from the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Six fire departments and 35 firefighters responded to the fire at 15727 Fenton Ave. Firefighters were able to get the fire under control in about 30 minutes, the fire marshal said. No one was injured, the fire marshal said. The blaze caused about $15,000 in damages to the home and $5,000 in damages to the contents inside, the fire marshal said.