Police Search For Arsonist Responsible For Edgemere Fires
EDGEMERE, Md. (WJZ)—Arsonist on the loose. A string of fires in Edgemere has people on alert.
Mike Schuh explains police are asking for help.
So far no one has been killed but that's because of sheer luck and good timing.
A few Sundays ago, a telephone pole was set ablaze.
"Been a lot of fires around here," said Tim Kiel, neighbor.
Another Sunday, it was a dumpster. And then a house. But early this past Sunday morning, there were fires all around.
"At that location, a residence was set on fire, a business was set on fire, two sheds were set on fire and three vehicles as well as a dumpster," said Det. Cathy Batton, Baltimore County Police.
Fires have been set almost every which way you turn from the auto repair shop to the telephone pole, the dumpster, the shed, the house and the apartment building.
"I heard sparks, and I jumped up and looked out my bedroom window and I seen the sparks and then seen the house on fire," said one witness.
This neighbor is afraid of the arsonist.
"I'm scared to go to sleep," she said. "Sometimes I leave the lights on."
The business owner's roof of his shop is ruined. He says he is so disgusted with what happened.
At nearby apartments, a couple with two babies scrambled out as the flames lit up the neighborhood.
"Well, that's pretty bad," said one neighbor. "They ought to be caught, punished."
Police are trying to do just that.
"We do not have any leads at this time," said Batton. "We're asking for the public's help to report any suspicious behavior that they may have seen in the area that morning or anyone that they know who may be talking about this crime."
With damage above $50,000, felony charges await the arsonist.
Because this is a peninsula, people are bothered even more because they feel the arsonist is one of their neighbors.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Baltimore County Police or Baltimore County CrimeStoppers.
