Fire Investigators Seek Community Assistance After Joppa Automobile Business is Twice Struck by Fire

From the Office of the State Fire Marshal:

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is seeking assistance from the public in an effort to locate the individual(s) responsible for an overnight arson fire at the automotive shop operated by Troy Aull at 1311 Paul’s Lane in Joppa.

The overnight fire occurred at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Monday, September 2, 2013 in the unsecured parking lot of the property. A 1997 Honda Civic and a 21’ 1987 Sea Ray Seville boat were completely destroyed by fire. Investigators determined five additional vehicles had a liquid accelerant poured on them in an attempt to set them on fire unsuccessfully. Damage estimates for this incident is $25,000.

A previous fire occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. on Sunday, August 18, 2013 inside the attached storage bay of the structure. The fire caused an estimated loss of $400,000 to the structure and contents. The cause for this fire remains under investigation at this time.

Deputy State Fire Marshal’s are working to identify the individual(s) responsible before someone is seriously injured. Investigators are asking the community to provide any possible details of suspicious activity at the property during the dates of the fires. Anyone having information is asked to contact the Elkton Office of the State fire Marshal at 410-996-2793 or the Arson Hotline at 1-800-492-7529.