Firefighters probe domestic dispute, arson in Potomac

Montgomery County arson investigators who are probing several fires at a Potomac home said they think a 77-year-old woman who lived there injured her 80-year-old husband before she set them.

Firefighters found several messages written on walls that appeared to be related to the fires, said Assistant Chief Scott Graham, a spokesman for the Montgomery fire and rescue service. The couple, married for more than five decades, got out of the house and were waiting outside when firefighters arrived shortly after 6 a.m. Officials did not immediately identify them.

The firefighters pulled up to the house in the 10800 block of Old Coach Road to find smoke coming from the garage, Graham said. As they attacked the fire, they found several more blazes throughout the house that appeared to have been started by an accelerant. Graham said they also found "numerous scriptings on the walls," but he said he didn't know what the markings said.

Investigators talked to the man and woman and others at the scene, Graham said.

The man was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening, Graham said. Fire officials described their findings as preliminary, and no charges had been filed.

The house suffered minor to moderate damage depending on the location of the blazes, Graham said. The house and land recently were valued at $728,470, according to Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation records.

Researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.