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Washington Arbors resident faces arson charges, other counts

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Washington Arbors resident Martha Ann Midili was charged with two counts of arson, among other charges, for setting fire to her seventh-floor apartment, city police said.

Midili, 74, of 154 N. College St., allegedly set fire to a towel Jan. 14. The fire then spread to a wall, carpet and door in the high-rise living community. Midili also was charged by summons Wednesday with reckless endangerment and risking a catastrophe, according to court documents.

The fire, which sent smoke through the eighth and ninth floors, was extinguished within minutes of firefighters arriving, said Washington Fire Department Capt. Jerry Coleman. Midili and another unidentified resident were taken to a hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Washington police said they found a lighter and a living will on the floor in the middle of Midili’s apartment.

The fire was the second in the nine-story apartment building in just more than a year. James W. Springer, 66, died in a fire Dec. 19, 2014, in his fifth-floor apartment.

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