A Wednesday overnight fire on North Capitol Street has become the latest in a series of apparently related arsons, triggering the involvement of federal officials.
9 News reporter Dave Statter says the fire fits the exact pattern of others in Prince George's County, with something being put on a door or outside of a building, then lit in the early morning.
Officials tells Statter the latest blaze is an arson, and the feds are becoming involved to help investigate.
Fire investigators from the Prince George's County, Washington DC and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms plan to meet Wednesday to compare notes on about 18 arson fires in the two jurisdictions.
The addition of ATF gets around some jurisdictional boundaries that have made it more difficult for officials to share information.
Prince George's fire spokesman Chauncey Bowers says the addition of ATF, with its ability to cross jurisdictional lines, could make the difference in the investigation.
There have been about a dozen fires in Prince George's County and half a dozen in the District.
