Baltimore City Fire Department investigators are still trying to determine what caused Tuesday?s deadly blaze in East Baltimore that left six people dead and seven injured.
“It could take days, weeks or even months to find out what caused this,” said Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright. “I?ve been involved with fires in which the cause was finally determined to be not fully ascertainable because of the amount of the destruction. We can?t press our investigators. We have to let the experts do their job.”
About 7:20 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters arrived at 1903 Cecil Ave. to find the two-story row house devastated by flames. Four people were found dead in an upstairs bedroom and one was found dead on the first floor at the bottom of the stairs, fire officials said. Another victim, a 5-year-old boy, died later at a local hospital. Several of the victims were children.
Baltimore City Fire Chief William Goodwin said there “wasn?t much” his firefighters could have done to save the lives of a half-dozen people who perished, though the rescuers did manage to save seven individuals.
“The magnitude of fire in the front porch and the first floor were really what hampered rescue attempts,” Goodwin said.
Fire officials had not officially determined the victims? identities and ages by press time Wednesday.
Goodwin said a 2005 inspection revealed the house had smoke detectors, but it could not be determined whether the devices were still there or working.
The blaze is considered the deadliest fire in Baltimore since Angela and Carnell Dawson, along with five of their children, were burned to death in 2002 by a drug dealer in retaliation for calling police hundreds of times.
