HANCOCK, MD - The boyfriend of the woman whose two daughters died in a house fire in Hancock this week has confessed to setting it, a source told NBC25 early this morning.
Clarence Meyers, 38, told investigators he set the fire "with hopes of receiving donations from the community," according to charging documents obtained by NBC25.
"Meyers admitted to walking down into the basement and spraying lighter fluid on the electrical panel and bed that was adjacent to the furnace," according to the charging documents. "He then used his cigarette lighter to ignite a piece of paper at which time a portion of the burning paper fell on a sofa near the electrical panel."
"Mr. Meyers claimed that he attempted to extinguish the fire by using clothing nearby to stamp it out, however; the fire spread quickly and he exited the basement through the exterior door. Mr. Meyers admitted that he set the fire with hopes of receiving donations from the community," according to the charging documents.
Meyers is the boyfriend of Melissa Lindeman, the girls' mother. He was briefly hospitalized after the fire for smoke inhalation. He faces seven charges including two counts of first degree murder.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office was able to pinpoint arson as the cause Thursday night.
The state medical examiner's office confirmed Thursday that Mary and Nicole Gross died of smoke inhalation and burns.
Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray says,??????That indicates that they were alive upstairs during the fire and they were bringing in the smoke from the fire that originated in the basement."
Nicole Gross was 15 and in the 9th grade at Hancock Middle Senior High School and Mary Gross was 12 and in the 7th grade.
Services for the sisters are scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at the Bethel Assembly of God Church in Oldtown, MD.
