Officials: Woman Set Fire to House with Person Inside, Watched It Burn from Lawn Chair

A Maryland woman is facing attempted murder and arson charges after she allegedly set her house on fire while someone else was inside and watched it burn from a chair on her front lawn.

Gail Metwally, 47, faces multiple charges, including first and second-degree attempted murder and first-degree arson. She also faces charges of first-degree assault, malicious destruction of property, malicious burning, and reckless endangerment in the case, WJW reported.

Fire departments responded to her home at around 1:15 p.m. on April 29, according to a Facebook post from the Maryland State Fire Marshal.

Witnesses discovered a woman, whom officials later identified as Metwally, setting multiple fires from within the home and then sitting on a lawn chair in front of the house, watching it burn.

She walked away from the scene after a few minutes, according to reports.

While the home was ablaze, witnesses could hear someone in the basement yelling for help. The bystanders helped the person escape through a window.

Authorities discovered Metwally in the area and took her into custody.

Four people lived in the home, including Metwally, but two of the residents were not home at the time of the fire, the fire marshal’s office said.

Metwally is being held at the Cecil County Detention Center ahead of her initial court appearance.