A twenty-two-year-old woman has been charged with arson following a fire that forced two people to escape their basement apartment through a window-well.
Platoon chief Gina Burke of the St. John’s Regional fire department told the Telegram that the man and woman who lived in the apartment on Maccarthy Crescent in Mount Pearl had apparently just returned home when they discovered the fire. The two then tried to extinguish the fire in their kitchen by themselves before they were forced to escape.
When firefighters arrived on scene just after 3 a.m., they found the two crawling out of the rear window well. Burke said both were taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation but the injuries did not appear life-threatening. She added that it was actually the RNC who called in the alarm, not the residents.
The Telegram also noted there was a heavier than normal police presence at the scene, with at least four RNC vehicles in the area.
The couple who lived upstairs and owned the home were allowed to return when firefighters deemed it safe. Fire damage was confined to the basement apartment.
No details were available as to how the fire was set or how the alleged perpetrator was apprehended.
The woman has been held to appear in court Saturday morning.
