Man in wheelchair pulled from Anne Arundel County house fire dies

BALTIMORE -- A man in a wheelchair died in a fire Wednesday afternoon in Anne Arundel County, fire officials said.

Firefighters pulled 54-year-old John Salvatore Billing from the fire in the 7900 block of Central Road in Pasadena. He died at the scene.

Officials said neighbors alerted firefighters of the fire across Back Creek in Pasadena. Neighbors reportedly told officers they saw a house on fire but didn't know the exact location.

The first 911 call came in from a neighbor around 1 p.m.  It took more than 60 firefighters an hour to control the fire. 

People who live along the central road in Pasadena watched as firefighters rushed to douse flames at a home on Wednesday afternoon.

"We saw flames and smoke," neighbor Maddie Truitt said.

Firefighters said Billing used a wheelchair and lived in the home with his mother.

"The mom was not home at the time of the fire," Anne Arundel County Fire Capt. Jenny MacAllair said. "She arrived while firefighters were on scene and advised that she thought he son may be inside. "

People remember Billing as a friendly presence in the neighborhood.

"My husband, who takes my son for a walk all the time, and we would wave to him and he would always be out on his porch sitting and waving," Truitt said. "It's just really sad."

They plan to honor him.

"We'll try to come together, I'm sure, to do something for the family," Truitt said. "It's just sad never has something like this happened."

Firefighters plan to be back at the home Thursday to try to determine the cause of this fire.

While firefighters conduct their investigation, they want to remind people to have a fire emergency plan in place.

"Discuss those things with your family members," MacAllair said. "What are your fire escape plans in your own home? What barriers do you have to overcome?"