Firefighters from Harford and York counties battled a house fire in Forest Hill Wednesday afternoon that resulted in heavy damage to the dwelling, according to Harford County fire officials.
The owner of the home was later arrested and charged with arson, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office.
No one was injured in the fire; however, first responders also had to deal with piles of materials allegedly being hoarded in the house as they battled the flames and heavy smoke, Rich Gardiner, spokesperson for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Association, said.
Firefighters, who came from the Bel Air, Darlington, Level, Fallston, Jarrettsville and Whiteford fire companies in Harford and from the Delta-Cardiff and Fawn Grove fire companies in York County, Pa., got the fire under control in about 45 minutes after arriving at 3:53 p.m., according to fire officials.
Neighbors saw flames coming from the house and called 911.
A joint investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Harford County Sheriff's Office has resulted in the arrest of George Dirk Vahlke Chenoweth, 41, after investigators determined he allegedly intentionally set a fire inside the second floor living room of his two-story single family home, the Fire Marshal's Office said in a news release issued Thursday morning.
"Investigators determined the fire originated on the interior second floor, and a scan performed by an accelerant K-9 team indicated positive results for accelerants inside the living room," the release states. "Interviews at the scene revealed the suspect was observed fleeing into the woods after the fire was observed coming from the house."
The Harford County Sheriff's Office dispatched its SABLE 1 helicopter to the area and Chenoweth was taken into custody at approximately 8:30 p.m., according to the release.
Chenoweth was interviewed at the Maryland State Police Bel Air Barrack and subsequently charged with first-degree arson and transported to the Harford County Detention Center, according to the release. He is being held without bond pending a bail review hearing, according to online court records.
Damage to the structure and contents is estimated at $75,000, the Fire Marshal's Office said.
Gardiner said via text message that firefighters had to deal with "hoarding conditions" in the house, explaining old, unused materials were being kept in piles in the home rather than being thrown away.
Large piles of hoarded items, such as old boxes, newspapers, plastic bags and household items, can also block the paths of first responders.
Gardiner said hoarding makes firefighting "incredibly difficult and even more dangerous than it already is."
He noted he saw similar hoarding conditions at fire scenes 25 years ago, and the condition has been an issue even longer than that.
Aegis Photo Editor Matt Button contributed to this story