A south Fayette woman was sentenced to six months in prison for setting a fire at her home that endangered two of her grandchildren and a third child who was also spending the night.

Ginger Leigh Coursey was found guilty last week of three counts of reckless conduct. The jury could not agree on a verdict on the arson charge so a mistrial was declared.

Coursey told the jury she had set some grease rags afire in her garage in a bid to get her husband’s attention after a marital spat Feb 18, 2008. No one was injured as her now-ex-husband, retired firefighter Billy Coursey, used a water hose to put out the flames before fire crews arrived at their Morris Drive home.

Coursey said she woke up the children and got them out of the house right after she set the rags afire, then waking up and alerting her husband.

Coursey, in a written statement to investigators, said she started the fire in an effort to get her husband’s attention on the life they had built together so “he would not want to throw that away.”

“I was fighting to save our marriage of 22 years,” Coursey said in court. “I couldn’t see any other way of life other than being with him.”

Coursey said the couple often argued about money issues and that her now ex-husband had an affair with her long-time best friend.

Billy Coursey, who took the stand earlier in the trial, was asked by his ex-wife’s defense attorney if anyone was hurt.

“I’ll hurt for the rest of my life that she ever went to that extent,” Mr. Coursey replied.

In addition to her six-month jail sentence, Ginger Coursey will have to serve another two and a half years on probation once she is released, according to the sentence issued by Superior Court Judge Paschal A. English Jr.