CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Deputy State Fire Marshals arrested a Cambridge man Thursday in connection with a 2025 fire that displaced five people and caused significant damage to a home.
Patrick Ryan Gifford, 28, was taken into custody March 19, 2026, at his home on Academy Street, according to Deputy State Fire Marshals. He is accused of setting a fire at a house on Race Street on Aug. 27, 2025, around 10:18 a.m., following an argument with someone inside the home, said marshals.
Firefighters from Rescue Fire Company responded with 36 personnel and worked for about an hour to bring the fire under control. According to officials, the fire displaced five people who live there and caused an estimated $250,000 in damage to the two-story, single-family home.
Patrick Ryan Gifford, 28, was taken into custody March 19, 2026, at his home on Academy Street, according to Deputy State Fire Marshals. (Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal)
A Dorchester County Grand Jury indicted Gifford on March 16 on multiple charges, including first-degree arson, attempted first-degree arson, first- and second-degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property over $1,000, and three counts of reckless endangerment.
With assistance from Cambridge Police Department, Deputy State Fire Marshals located Gifford and served the arrest warrant. He was taken to the Dorchester County Detention Center without incident, said marshals.
If convicted on all charges, Gifford faces a maximum penalty of 95 years and six months in prison and up to $123,000 in fines.