PRINCE FREDERICK -- A 25-year-old bartender in a Charles County tavern has been charged with reckless endangerment in connection with a June 3, 2004 incident at "Ape Hangers" on Crain Highway in Bel Alton. Douglas Eugene Mattingly of Newburg is accused of igniting a fire that caused the clothing of Ms. Sundee Gilliam to catch fire, causing second degree burns to her body. Ms. Gilliam was treated at Civista Hospital and transferred to the Washington Hospital Burn Center for further treatment. She was released from the hospital on June 8, 2004.

Interviews with the victim revealed that during the early morning hours of June 3^rd as part of a bar trick, the defendant poured a quantity of rum onto the bar and ignited it causing flames to travel across the surface of the bar. As the victim approached the bar, the bartender repeated the trick and the flames traveled the length of the bar igniting the victim’s clothing.

During the investigation, Deputy State Fire Marshals have learned similar "tricks" involving flammable liquors have become popular "attractions" in many bars and taverns around the country. Maryland’s Fire Prevention Code prohibits such "attractions" and State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard has expressed serious concern. "Many of America’s most devastating fires have occurred in assembly occupancies such as bars, taverns, and nightclubs," according to the State Fire Marshal. "These tricks may seem harmless but as witnessed in this case, can lead to serious injury."