Hagerstown Woman Performed Seance As Apartment Complex She Set on Fire Burned

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MD – A Hagerstown woman was arrested after investigators determined she intentionally set fire to her apartment before barricading herself inside a rental office, authorities said.

Deputy State Fire Marshals charged 45-year-old April Niesha Hough on Friday after responding to the fire at The Ridge apartments. Officials say she admitted to setting the blaze before locking herself inside the complex’s rental office.

According to investigators, Hough told staff members she had started the fire, prompting them to call authorities. When confronted by officers, she claimed she was conducting a seance before the fire ignited.

Fire marshals continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.