Suspect detained after arson incident in an Annapolis parking garage
One person has been arrested and charged with reckless endangerment after intentionally setting a fire inside an Anne Arundel County parking garage on Saturday.
The incident prompted 40 firefighters to respond to the blaze inside the 1 Park parking garage in Annapolis.
According to the Annapolis Fire Department, at 10:53 a.m., units were dispatched to the reported fire.
When officials arrived, they quickly located the source of the smoke after witnessing fumes coming from the garage area.
It was later discovered that the building's sprinkler system had extinguished the fire stemming from several boxes stored on a pallet.
The Annapolis Fire and Explosives Services Unit determined that the fire was intentionally set, following an altercation.
The individual responsible was detained by police and charged with reckless endangerment.
No injuries were reported to any citizens or emergency crews.
Fires reported in Anne Arundel County
There have been 85,122 total calls for fire department services within the last 12 months.
The majority of those calls, 18,322, have been made from Glen Burnie, and are for EMS services like medical emergencies, cardiac arrests, and trauma incidents.
Within the last year in Annapolis, there have been 8,715 fire incidents reported.
The most dangerous month was July 2025, with 118 reported incidents compared to 117 in June and 116 in August.
In July, Julian Teletor Primero, a 52-year-old man, died after running back into a house to rescue family members from a fire in Anne Arundel County.
On Wednesday, a man from Severna Park was sentenced to 18 months in jail for setting fire to a neighbor's home in April.
Police say the man broke into the home and intentionally set the fire after disputes related to Homeowners Association matters.
Fire Department shortages in Annapolis
The fire union in nearby Annapolis reported to WJZ that the department was seriously understaffed after four units responded to a heat-related episode with several Midshipmen in July.
Fire union President Joe Pilat told WJZ reporters that Annapolis is left without available fire units far too often, stating, "Usually multiple times a week, every medic unit in the city is on a transport, at the hospital, and we're waiting on mutual aid partners to assist us...It can cause significant delays when we are out of paramedic units."
Though the Acting City Manager Guild told WJZ the Annapolis Fire Department received a funding enhancement of around $2.2 million for Fiscal Year 2026, which started on July 1, Pilat says it doesn't cover the 10 positions needed to put another medic unit in service.
