Chaos erupted at The Ridge Apartments in Hagerstown, Maryland, where a woman has been charged with arson after allegedly setting her apartment ablaze. As reported by WMAR-2 News, the suspected arsonist, April Hough, age 45, was arrested after emergency responders arrived at the smoke-filled scene last Thursday. Hough barricaded herself in the rental office in a peculiar twist, citing a seance gone wrong as the catalyst for the inferno.
According to FOX 5 DC, the fire elicited a response from multiple agencies, including the Halfway Volunteer Fire Company and the Hagerstown Fire Department. As tenants evacuated the endangered structure, firefighters found themselves battling the blaze that stemmed, according to Hough's bizarre claim, from her spiritual summoning efforts. Hough's actions before the incident, where she removed several fire extinguishers, compounded the risk other residents and first responders faced.
In a worrisome detail provided by WUSA9, Hough proclaimed to the staff that she was the source of the conflagration after taking a defensive position in the complex's leasing office. Authorities, upon assessing the scenario, duly charged her with first-degree arson, malicious burning, malicious destruction of property over $1,500, and reckless endangerment; Hough remains detained without bond.
