A morning fire at an East Baltimore row house claimed the life of a 3-year-old girl and a 56-year old woman Thursday.
The two-alarm blaze broke out at 10:30 a.m. at 2025 E. Hoffman St. said Baltimore City Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright. The quick-moving blaze consumed the first and second floors in a matter of minutes.
“When the units arrived there was heavy fire on both floors of the house. After arriving, firefighters received reports of a woman and child in the house,” Cartwright said.
“Subsequently firefighters fought the fire and found a 3-year-old girl and adult woman, believed to be her grandmother, expired in the second-floor bedroom.”
Cartwright said the child and the woman most likely died of smoke inhalation.
The fire spread to two adjoining houses, but Cartwright said one of the homes is abandoned and the other was unoccupied at the time. The blaze was brought under control around 11 am. No firefighters were injured.
The mother of the child was not home at the time the blaze occurred. The two fatalities were the 18th and 19th city fire deaths this year.
Along with the rapid spread of the fire, Cartwright said lack of smoke detectors may have contributed to the two deaths.
“There were no smoke detectors visible or audible when firefighters arrived,” he said.
Cartwright urged city residents to obtain free smoke detectors from the fire department by calling 410-396-SAVE (7283).
