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Local resident Anthony Cooper, 50, has been charged with arson and reckless endangerment after being identified by witnesses as a suspect who set an incendiary fire late on Thursday night in Temple Hills.
The fire was reported at approximately 11:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, when first responders were called to the 3300 block of Huntley Square Drive, and Cooper was immediately identified as a suspect and detained.
Upon arrival, fire crews were met by a massive fire that could be seen showing from throughout the building, prompting a second alarm.
The flames were knocked down by approximately 1:15 a.m. on Friday, April 7, but two firefighters sustained minor burns and were transported to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. Both have since been released.
Ten people - eight adults and two children - were displaced by the overnight blaze.
Cooper was transported to the Prince George’s County Police Department, where he was interviewed by fire investigators.
During that interview, officials say that Cooper readily admitted to intentionally setting a fire in the apartment, and he was transported to the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections in Upper Marlboro, where he was charged.
It is unclear what caused Cooper to set the fire, which remains under investigation.
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