Dallas authorities say a midnight house fire on Prosperity Avenue turned chaotic when a woman allegedly tried to keep firefighters from extinguishing the flames. Jermecia Murphy, 37, was arrested early Friday and now faces a growing list of charges after police and witnesses accused her of both setting the fire and attempting to sabotage rescue efforts.

Dallas Fire-Rescue crews responded just before 1 a.m. to find the one-story home already burning. As firefighters deployed their hoses, investigators say Murphy approached with a knife and attempted to slash the lines feeding water to the blaze. Crews stopped her immediately, and she was arrested at the scene. According to local reporting from KDFW, several witnesses told authorities they heard Murphy admit she had started the fire herself.

By 1:30 a.m., firefighters had contained the blaze and investigators began examining the damage. Their early findings indicated the fire originated in the front room and was “incendiary in nature,” meaning combustible materials were deliberately ignited with an unknown heat source. No one was inside the home at the time, and no injuries were reported.

Murphy was charged with criminal mischief, interfering with public duties, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of marijuana. But Dallas Fire-Rescue officials said additional charges were likely. Based on preliminary evidence pointing to intentional ignition, they expect Murphy will also be charged with arson.

She was booked into the Dallas County Jail on a total bond of $16,000. As investigators continue to piece together what happened inside the house before crews arrived, they say the combination of witness accounts and physical evidence paints an increasingly troubling picture: a fire deliberately set—and an alleged attempt to stop anyone from putting it out.