Man arrested following arson investigation at Western Maryland homeless shelter
BALTIMORE -- A man has been charged in setting fire to a bunk bed at a homeless shelter in Western Maryland while his roommate was sleeping on it, according to authorities.
Keith Wayne Bergdoll, 31, was charged with first-degree arson and two counts of second-degree malicious burning on Monday, the Cumberland Fire Marshals Office said in a statement.
First responders were alerted to a fire at the Union Rescue Mission of Western Maryland just before 8 a.m. on Monday, according to authorities.
An employee at the homeless shelter quickly extinguished the fire in one of the bedrooms, the Cumberland Fire Marshals Office said.
There were 22 men and staff members inside the homeless shelter when the fire started, according to authorities.
The shelter is connected to another building. At the time of the fire, 22 females were inside that building, the Cumberland Fire Marshals Office said.
Investigators say the fire caused around $2,000 in damages. No one was injured during the fire.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Cumberland Fire Marshals Office conducted a joint investigation into the origin of the fire, according to authorities.
Bergdoll allegedly told investigators that he set the fire after discovering that there was no smoke alarm in his bedroom.
He wanted "to make the homeless shelter safer," according to authorities.
"Setting a fire within a homeless shelter where some of our most vulnerable go to stay warm on one of the first cold nights in Maryland is a despicable act," State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci said. "Anyone, including Mr. Bergdoll, could have called our agency or the Cumberland Fire Department, and we would have promptly responded and corrected the situation."
Bergdoll is being held without bond at the Allegany County Detention Center.
