Rosedale House Explosion Caused By Homeowner Who Left For Jamaica: Reports

ROSEDALE, MD — A man faces arson charges after investigators said he intentionally caused his Rosedale home to explode this July.

The Baltimore County Fire Department announced Tuesday that homeowner Mark Hawkins, 66, was arrested and charged with first-degree arson and first-degree malicious burning. Both charges are felonies.

The explosion happened on July 1 around 2 a.m. in the 8100 block of Callo Lane, located in a neighborhood just off Interstate 95.

The Baltimore Banner reported the damage was concentrated around the water heater in the basement, where the natural gas line was disconnected. WJZ said an electric range was left on upstairs.

Natural gas had been flowing into the house for 18 hours before the explosion, WJZ reported. Citing charging documents, WJZ said Hawkins and his wife had left for Jamaica on a one-way ticket the morning before the explosion.

Fire investigators did not find any clothes or shoes in the debris, The Banner said.

"A big fireball. I mean, it was like nothing I've ever seen before, almost like a war zone," Charles Pulliam, a neighbor, told WJZ.

WJZ said the explosion blew the bumpers off a nearby truck, while leaving a shoe on a neighbor's roof and a mattress in their driveway.

"We were worried if the neighbors were inside. We wondered if we were witnessing a murder," neighbor Rija Ikharia told The Banner.

Related: Explosion Destroys Rosedale Home, Displaces Family: Reports

Hawkins returned from Jamaica with his wife and son on July 6, The Banner said.

Online court records show that an arrest warrant for Hawkins was issued on Sept. 22 and served on Sept. 25.

Last Friday, Judge Krystin J. Richardson ordered Hawkins to be held without bond until his trial.

Hawkins' defense attorney is Rodney Gray. Patch contacted Gray's office for a comment, but the attorney was in court at the time, so he was unable to immediately reply.

This map shows the area where firefighters said the explosion happened.