Updated: Woman Who Cut Supply Line at Dallas House Fire Charged with Arson
Dallas Fire-Rescue says the woman who was arrested after she repeatedly stabbed a supply line at a house fire Friday morning was also charged with setting the fire.
Firefighters were called to the house fire on Prosperity Avenue in East Oak Cliff just before 1 a.m. and encountered heavy fire in the single-story home.
"While DFR was extinguishing the fire, 37-year-old, Jermecia Denise Murphy, of Dallas, took a knife to one of the fire hoses, in an attempt to prevent their efforts, but she was placed under arrest at the scene and charged with criminal mischief," fire department spokesman Jason Evans said.
In video captured by CBS DFW, the supply line had at least six punctures, which cause water to spray from the damaged hose.
Murphy was arrested by Dallas police and charged with criminal mischief.
"Investigators determined that the fire began in a front room of the house, and was incendiary in nature," Evans told Firehouse.com. "Investigation concluded that someone used an unknown heat source to ignite combustibles in the room of origin. That 'someone' was determined to be Murphy, after multiple people on scene witnessed her admitting to setting the fire as she stabbed the fire hose."
Evans said Murphy will also be charged with first-degree arson.
Fire officials said the firefighting operation was not impacted by the damaged hose.
About the Author
Peter Matthews
Editor-in-Chief/Conference Director
Peter Matthews is the conference director and editor-in-chief of Firehouse. He has worked at Firehouse since 1999, serving in various roles on both Firehouse Magazine and Firehouse.com staffs. He completed an internship with the Rochester, NY, Fire Department and served with fire departments in Rush, NY, and Laurel, MD, and was a lieutenant with the Glenwood Fire Company in Glenwood Landing, NY. Matthews served as photographer for the St. Paul, MN, Fire Department and currently is a photographer for the Fort Worth, TX, Fire Department.