1 person dead, 6 displaced after apartment fire in Baltimore
BALTIMORE -- One person died and six others were displaced after a fire in Baltimore's Mt Vernon neighborhood early Monday, according to Baltimore City Fire officials.
Firefighters responded to the 900 block of N Calvert Street around 12:30 a.m. for a reported residential fire. They arrived at the scene to find heavy smoke and fire on the second floor near the back of the building.
Six people were immediately evacuated from three apartments, fire officials said.
"It's always sad, but it's even sadder when it's around the holiday time and people are looking forward to being with their families," said neighbor Joyce Singer.
As they were working to contain the fire, firefighters discovered a dead person near the origin of the fire. The person has not yet been identified.
The fire was under control by 1 a.m. and no injuries were reported, according to officials.
A resident said he heard people yelling, and when he opened his door, the apartment building was already starting to fill with smoke. He said he escaped with only minor injuries. He says even though his apartment was not severely damaged, the leases are being terminated for all of the residents.
"I don't know if they've lost all their things, but being displaced, it's good that we have emergency services to help take care of things, but it's not the same as being home at the holiday time," Singer said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Recent Baltimore Fires
Monday's fire comes after one person died and another was critically injured – along with a cat and dog – after a fire in Baltimore County on Friday, Dec. 13.
The house fire also damaged a neighboring home and left the entire neighborhood scarred.
Another recent fire left a woman dead and displaced several people in the city's Greektown neighborhood on November 25.
A massive fire at wood recycling plant, Camp Small, shut down I-83 and smoldered for days after firefighters contained it.
The cause of the fires has not been determined, but they come as the Northeastern region of the U.S. has seen ongoing drought conditions which can contribute to an elevated fire risk.