Insurance company offers reward for information on Woodsboro fire
Arson to cover up burglary caused $700,000 in damage
Investigators, who have been looking for information about a fire that occurred at 625 S. Main St., in Woodsboro last month, want members of the public to know that the insurance company responsible for the building that burned is offering a reward for tips about the arson.
Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company will pay $5,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone associated with the crime. The damage is estimated at $700,000, according to a press release from the Frederick County Sheriff's Office.
Evidence suggests that the two-alarm fire, which took 75 firefighters an hour to bring under control in the early morning hours of July 22, was started to cover up a burglary, according to Cpl. Jennifer Bailey, spokeswoman for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office. Although she said a safe was stolen from the building, investigators have not released information on its contents, she said.
Investigators have determined that the building, which is owned by the William D. Bowers Lumber Company and operated by Bowers Lumber and Components, was not secure at the time of the break-in.
The Frederick County Bureau of Investigation, the Frederick County Fire Marshal's Office and the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office are all involved in the ongoing investigation.
"[They] felt that there were still people out in the community who had information but didn't come forward," Bailey said.
Anyone with information regarding this case should call the Sheriff's Office tip line at 301-600-4131.