Maryland deputy fire marshals charged a Salisbury man with setting fire to his own home Saturday, according to the state fire marshal’s office.

Michael Satterfield, 66, faces charges including first- and second-degree arson and first- and second-degree malicious burning. He was also charged with five counts of animal cruelty for allegedly leaving five cats in the home after setting the fire. Firefighters found the cats unharmed after extinguishing the blaze.

A deputy fire marshal served Satterfield with an arrest warrant Sunday morning at the Wicomico County Detention Center, where he was being held on related traffic charges brought by Maryland State Police.

Satterfield is being held without bond. If convicted of all charges, he faces more than 72 years in prison and more than $105,000 in fines, or both, according to the fire marshal’s office.

The fire was reported at 5:35 p.m. Saturday at the home in the 6000 block of Hunters Mill Drive in Salisbury. Forty firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control in 30 minutes. The fire caused an estimated $175,000 in damages, according to the fire marshal’s office.

The Hebron Volunteer Fire Department asked deputy fire marshals to investigate the fire’s cause and origin.

Investigators determined that the fire was deliberately set in the attached garage of the one-story, single-family home, according to the fire marshal’s office.

Online court records list no attorney representing Satterfield and show he waived his right to an attorney at his initial appearance.

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