Fired Employee Sets Restaurant Ablaze In Upper Marlboro: PGFD

UPPER MARLBORO, MD -- A woman who had recently been fired from a restaurant in Upper Marlboro set it on fire early Thursday morning and has been arrested as a result, according to the fire department.

Firefighters were dispatched to a building fire at 14703 Main Street at around 1:30 a.m., according to a report from Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady. The report doesn't name the business, but that is the address of Al's Deli.

Firefighters responded to the fire within three minutes of dispatch and found fire coming from the restaurant. It ended up being a three-alarm fire that involved around 100 personnel, who finally extinguished the blaze at 3 a.m.

No firefighter or civilian injuries were reported, but three occupants in apartments on the top floor of the building were displaced and the fire caused around $250,000 in damage.

Investigators determined that the fire was caused by something incendiary, and they identified 26-year-old Jessica Marie Poole of Harwood as the person who set the fire. She was a former employee of the business who had recently been fired, according to the report.

Poole was arrested Thursday afternoon and charged with two counts of first degree arson, one count of second degree arson, and two counts of reckless endangerment, the report states.

Image via Prince George's County Fire Department