Jeff Clements went to bed last Sunday night in his Indian Head home ready for hard work: a week of studying for finals at the University of Maryland.
But the 22-year-old woke up Monday morning to a different -- and more monumental -- task: fighting a series of arsons that devastated the Hunters Brooke subdivision in Mason Springs and shocked the community in a rural portion of Southern Maryland. Clements was the first volunteer firefighter to make it to the Potomac Heights station, and his crew was among the first to reach the flames. In the quiet of a firehouse office, he reflected on the week.
Bucky Bowling, left, and Tom Wathen, center, of SMECO and Tim Schwartz, a builder with Patriot Homes, complete a survey of electrical damage Friday.
(Robert A. Reeder -- The Washington Post)
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"Those homes were so many people's dreams. I couldn't even imagine what they were feeling at that point," he said. "As a firefighter, I hope I would never have to go through that again."
At Hunters Brooke, the workweek ended under a gray drizzle as investigators wrapped up the arduous process of collecting evidence from the muddy construction site. On Friday, reporters were led on a brief up-close tour of the fire damage, which revealed the random nature of the arsons. Some buildings, just hulks of charred wood and melted vinyl siding, stood next to unscathed $500,000 houses. Most of the subdivision's planned 319 houses had not been completed, and only one family was living in the portion of the development where the fires were set.
A final tally showed that 19 arsons were set and an additional 10 were attempted unsuccessfully, causing $10 million in damage, authorities said. Ten unoccupied houses were destroyed by the blazes, and an additional 16 were damaged.
"It was a war zone," said Clements, who battled the fires for hours. "That's the only way to describe it."
Throughout the week, more than 100 fire investigators from the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, among others, pored over the subdivision, looking for clues. On Friday they said they had not identified suspects or nailed down a motive.
Law enforcement sources reported finding matchbooks and containers of a liquid at the scene that could have started the fires. Chemists and laboratory technicians at the ATF's national lab in Prince George's County were analyzing the evidence. Much of what they found had not been released to the public.
"Certainly, although we've been able to establish the cause of these fires, the motivation of the arsonists is still being actively investigated," said W. Faron Taylor, the deputy state fire marshal.
Speculation about the motive has been wide-ranging: from environmental terrorism to a racially motivated hate crime. Dozens of construction workers, firefighters and residents have been interviewed by investigators. FBI agents have canvassed gas stations to review surveillance tapes and ask employees whether there had been any recent large gasoline purchases in containers such as milk jugs or cooking oil cans.
Law enforcement officials met with leaders of Charles County's black community to reiterate that no evidence points to a racial motive, a subject of speculation because many of the residents moving to Hunters Brooke are black.
"There's been no evidence, no suggestion, just nothing at all to support a racially motivated crime here. And typically you would see that," said Capt. Joseph Montminy of the Charles County Sheriff's Office.
The county's black population has grown rapidly in recent years. Edith Patterson, the chairwoman of the Charles County Democratic Central Committee, who is among the candidates pursuing a spot on the Board of County Commissioners, said, "Charles County will not tolerate racial bias or discrimination."
The subdivision has been the subject of a long battle with environmentalists because it is near the Araby Bog, a wetland that is home to rare plants and insects. Local environmentalists said they were shocked by the arsons and believed no one opposing the development would resort to such a crime. Some militant environmental groups, such as the Earth Liberation Front, have committed arsons in other parts of the country to stop developments they opposed.
Montminy said investigators have not ruled out this motive. "The size of the crime is similar, and [ELF] has a history of doing arsons. We'd have to consider that," he said.
For the families that trickled back into their undamaged houses in the front portion of the subdivision, getting used to living next to the wreckage was not easy.
After searching in Fort Washington and other areas of Prince George's County, Anita and Clayton Thompson found Hunters Brooke. Tucked in the woods, it seemed to them a perfect place to retire. They moved in a week before the fires.
When they returned to their home at midweek, police floodlights shone into the trees, and deputies stopped every car that came into the neighborhood. Blackened holes were the only sign of some neighboring houses. With the holidays coming up, though, they said they might buy a Christmas tree this weekend.
"Back to normal?" said Clayton Thomas, 51, a firefighter in Fairfax County. "I don't think it will ever be back to normal."
Staff writer Susan Kinzie contributed to this report.
