Deadly Catonsville fire is second this week in Baltimore County

CATONSVILLE -- A Baltimore County woman is dead after a fire ripped through her home Tuesday night.

Firefighters responded around 11:22 p.m. to the 100 block of Helms Pick Court in Catonsville.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

This fire comes within days of another deadly fire in Dundalk that killed a 70-year-old woman.

The Baltimore County Fire Department arrived to find flames coming out of the second-floor window of the home.

Soon, those crews realized someone was still inside after noticing a vehicle in the driveway.

They worked fast, containing the fire just after midnight, and the woman was found on the second floor.

Assistant Fire Chief Marcus Johnson said crews ran into hoarding conditions in the home, which made things difficult.

"We have a lot of instances where they can't reach the fire because they can't get to it, just because of the obstructions," Johnson said.

It's not clear if anyone else lives in the home.

This Catonsville fire marked the second time someone died in a fire this week. Early Monday morning, Barbara Spokus, 70, died after a fire ripped through her home.

Baltimore County Fire said investigators determined it started because of improperly discarded smoking materials.

"Anytime someone loses their life, it hits all of us, but especially to those loved ones," Johnson said. "So, our ultimate effort is to see how we can reduce these number of instances."

For any fire, Johnson said preparation and prevention is key. One of the best things anyone can do is check the fire alarms in their home.

"We're transitioning to the ten-year smoke detector, but we still have a lot of smoke detectors that are still the older style that requires the battery changes," he said. "We want you to do monthly checks regardless of what type you have."