LEXINGTON PARK — The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating a Nov. 12 vehicle fire in Lexington Park that investigators say was intentionally set, and is asking anyone with information to come forward.
Bay District Volunteer Fire Department crews were called at 7:49 p.m. to the area of 21975 Spring Valley Drive. Five firefighters responded on a one-alarm assignment. The fire damaged the interior of a 2014 Dodge Charger, which its owner discovered burning. The fire marshal’s office estimated the loss at $1,500. No one was hurt, and no arrests have been made.
The preliminary cause is incendiary, meaning the fire was set on purpose, by an unknown suspect or suspects, according to the fire marshal’s notice of investigation. Investigators placed the area of origin inside the vehicle.
Under Maryland law, malicious burning of personal property worth $1,000 or more is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine or both. When the damage is less than $1,000, the offense is a misdemeanor carrying up to 18 months in jail or a $500 fine. The fire marshal’s $1,500 loss estimate would fall in the felony range, though no one has been charged.
It is the second incendiary vehicle fire in Lexington Park in about five weeks. The Chronicle reported on Oct. 6 that the fire marshal was seeking tips on an Oct. 5 fire that damaged a 2008 Lincoln MKX on Princeton Drive. That fire, reported at 5:54 a.m., was also ruled incendiary, with a loss estimated at $1,000. Bay District Volunteer Fire Department responded to both. The fire marshal’s office did not say whether the two fires are related.
Anyone with information can call the State Fire Marshal’s Southern Region Office at 410-414-3600 or the Maryland arson hotline at 1-800-492-7529.
