A fire forced 15 people out of a home in Wheaton, Maryland, Thanksgiving night, and residents of the home said a man who lived there deliberately set the fire.
The fire broke out about 10 p.m. on Kingswell Drive near Georgia Avenue and Glenmont Road. Firefighters found flames in the sun room and first floor, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said. There were no injuries and everyone got out of the house before firefighters arrived, he said.
Montgomery County police had just been at the home a couple of hours earlier for what they were told was a dispute between a man and his wife that possibly involved a knife involved, authorities said. The police ultimately left without making an arrest.
"One person was detained by the police and is being questioned as a person of interest," Piringer said Friday.
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Montgomery County police said in a statement the man who was detained was taken to a hospital for an "emergency evaluation petition." He was not arrested.
A woman who lives in the home spoke to News4 in Spanish about what happened. Her neighbor, Christian Sanchez, translated the conversation.
"He start the fire into the couch that was in the room," she said in Spanish.
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"They have four kids. They don’t have any place to go … in this situation. That’s why I am here. I asked if they called to the county. Maybe the county can help," Sanchez said.
The Red Cross had responded to the scene, as well as a representative from the Embassy of Honduras.
Photos show flames and large plumes of smoke coming from the roof of the home.
The house sustained extensive damage in the fire, and the families that lived there are looking for a new place to stay.
Stay with News4 for updates to this deveoping story.
