March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 47 F

Fire Claims Life Of Woman

Photo: McCall Johnson for Eye On Annapolis

The fire this morning in the Arundel on the Bay community has claimed the life of an elderly woman.  This is the second fatal fire in the county within the week.  From the Anne Arundel County Fire Department:

Around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 8, 2012, Anne Arundel County Firefighters were dispatched to a reported dwelling fire in the 3400 block of Newport Avenue in the Arundel on the Bay Community of Anne Arundel County.

The first unit to arrive on the scene reported visible flames through the roof of a two story single family dwelling.  At this time, crews were also advised by neighbors that the occupant of the dwelling was unaccounted for in the residence.  Firefighters immediately requested a second alarm and an interior fire attack, as well as, search and rescue operations were initiated by the first arriving crews. In all, it took more than 50 Firefighters from Anne Arundel County, Annapolis City, and the Naval Academy Fire Departments more than 40 minutes to bring the two alarm incident under control. During a search of the residence, fire crews did locate one occupant in the dwelling.  The occupant, an unknown aged female, suffered fatal injuries as a result of the incident and was pronounced dead at the scene.  The name and identity of the deceased is being withheld at this time pending positive identification, notification of next of kin, and the results of the autopsy that will be conducted by the State Medical Examiner. The fire which originated on the interior of the dwelling caused an estimated $200,000 in damages.  The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.

This is the second fatal fire in the County within a week.  On Sunday, July 1, 2012 a Gambrills resident died in a house fire on Farrara Drive in the Community of Chapelgate.  A preliminary investigation into this incident revealed that there were no operable smoke detectors in the residence.  Firefighters went door to door in the Gambrills neighborhood on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 to bring an awareness of the incident to residents and the importance of smoke alarms in preventing fire deaths.  During this initiative, firefighters visited 418 homes, testing 132 existing smoke alarms, installing 52 smoke alarms in homes that did not have operable smoke alarms and installing batteries in another 27 smoke alarms.

It is unclear if there were any operable smoke detectors in this morning’s fatal fire in Annapolis; however, the investigation into the incident is continuing.

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