A man has been taken into custody for his connection to a fire which damaged an apartment building in downtown Hagerstown while 12 people were inside last month.
32-year-old Dameon Davonte Irby is being charged with first-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, third-degree burglary, and seven counts of reckless endangerment.
Authorities say after an initial investigation, they determined Irby deliberately set the fire at 56 E. Antietam Street around 2am on May 19, 2025.
According to witnesses, Irby had been living in an empty apartment on the third floor illegally. He was ordered to leave; however, he was seen leaving the building shortly before the fire.
A witness told investigators he heard Irby threaten to “burn the building down.”
Witnesses told investigators that Irby had possibly started the fire and told them he had been illegally occupying one of the vacant third-floor apartments. Irby had been ordered to leave the property but was later seen exiting the building shortly before the fire was discovered. One witness told investigators they heard Irby threaten to “burn the building down.”
The Office of the State Fire Marshal says when the Hagerstown Fire Department arrived at the scene, they saw smoke leaving the third floor of the apartment building.
They were able to get the fire under control and then discovered the source of the blaze. The stove burners in an empty third-floor apartment had been turned on high heat.
With assistance from the Hagerstown Police Department, deputy state fire marshals located and arrested Irby without incident. He is currently being held without bond at the Washington County Detention Center.
