47-Year-Old Woman Sets Her House on Fire with Someone inside and Watched It Burn on a Lawn Chair

Authorities have arrested a woman, Gail Metwally, 47, after she allegedly set fire on her house despite someone being inside and then going out to watch as it burned.

A 47-year-old Cecil County woman identified as Gail J. Metwally faces multiple murder, assault, and arson charges after witnesses reported seeing her set her house on fire and walking away.

Meanwhile, there was someone trapped in the basement of the burning house. Bystanders heard screams from the basement and made efforts to rescue the person trapped within.

In a Facebook post, the Office of the Maryland Fire State Marshall detailed what transpired. It reported that the Singerly Fire Company, in conjunction with other fire departments, responded to the unit block of Cherry Lane, Elkton, on Thursday, April 29, 2021, at about 1:15 pm.

Witnesses reportedly saw Metwally set multiple fires inside the home where she lived. Video footage shot by neighbors shows Metwally sitting on a chair on the front lawn and watching the burning house. She walked away from the scene after some minutes.

With the house still burning and the trapped individual, a woman, still screaming for help, witnesses managed to rescue her from the basement through the window.

The accused is currently being held at the Cecil County Detention Center, pending a district commissioner hearing.

The rescued woman is said to be one of Metwally's three housemates. The remaining two housemates were not home at the time the incident occurred.

While the rescue was going on, the Cecil County Sheriff's Office proceeded to arrest and detain Metwally, who was still in the area. She was taken to the Maryland State Police North East Barrack.

Deputy State Fire Marshalls investigated the crime scene to determine the origin and cause of the fire. The results of their investigation led them to conclude that the fire was incendiary in nature.

Metwally remains in custody and is charged with attempted murder in the first and second degree, assault in the first degree, and arson in the first degree.

She also faces two counts of malicious burning in the first degree and two counts of malicious destruction of property and reckless endangerment, respectively.

The accused is currently being held at the Cecil County Detention Center, pending a district commissioner hearing. It is not yet clear if she has an attorney to issue statements on her behalf or if she has entered pleas to those charges.

Her motive for the alleged arson and attempted murder is currently unknown, although a few comments from people who knew her on Facebook alluded to the fact that Metwally may have been mentally unstable.