Cumberland, MD – A 30-year-old man is facing charges after investigators say he was caught on surveillance video using a lighter to start a brush fire dangerously close to a Board of Education maintenance facility on Independence Day.
Michael Gage Butler was arrested Thursday and charged with malicious destruction of property after fire investigators linked him to the small but deliberate blaze on Market Street. Officials say the fire, set just after noon on July 4, caused approximately $1,000 in damage but was stopped before it reached nearby structures.
Firefighters from the Cumberland Fire Department responded quickly to 211 Market Street and managed to contain the flames. Thanks to the rapid response, the fire was extinguished before it could threaten the adjacent Board of Education maintenance building.
The investigation included personnel from the State Fire Marshal’s Office, Cumberland Fire Marshal’s Office, Cumberland Police Department, and Board of Education Security. According to authorities, surveillance video showed Butler entering the area just before the fire began and using a lighter to ignite dry grass and brush.
Butler was taken into custody by Maryland State Police troopers and charged with one count of malicious destruction of property over $1,000. He was presented before a District Court Commissioner and later released on his own recognizance pending trial.
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Key Points
- Michael Gage Butler, 30, is charged with starting a fire near a Board of Education maintenance building on July 4
- Surveillance footage allegedly shows Butler using a lighter to ignite brush and grass
- The fire caused $1,000 in damage but was extinguished before it spread to any buildings
Video footage led to charges against a Cumberland man who allegedly sparked a fire near a public facility on the Fourth of July.
