Northwest Baltimore community shocked after fatal fire
Baltimore -- Firefighters and the ATF continued to canvas the 5200 block of Linden Heights Avenue on Friday after a two-alarm fire took the life of a 31-year-old firefighter.
Related: Baltimore City firefighter dies after battling two-alarm rowhome fire, investigation underway
Fire crews still monitoring the aftermath of Thursday’s fire in Northwest Baltimore. ATF has dogs sniffing around as neighbors check on each other after a firefighter died while fighting the fire on Linden Heights Avenue. @wjz pic.twitter.com/1KJUyJwpOs
— Stephon Dingle WJZ (@Stephon_Dingle) October 20, 2023
"You never expect that something so close and so close to you would cause the death of a person who doesn't live here; he was just doing his job," Tina Jones, a resident of the Park Heights neighborhood where the fire occurred, said.
People in this Northwest Baltimore neighborhood all know each other and checked on each other's safety. One woman even laid flowers on the porch of the charred homes to show her gratitude.
"It's just sad, you know. No matter how you look at it. It's just one of those things where you never expect that," Jones said.
A man told WJZ he was only alerted to the fire after some individuals came banging on his door to tell him and his 80-year-old mother to evacuate.
"As I looked my head out of the door, I could see black smoke going through the porch area. After that, I grabbed my mom, got her together, and got her out of the house just to make sure she was safe," he said. "God covers those who are His. My prayers and my heart go out to the firefighters who were involved, especially the tragedy with one firefighter losing his life. They run into danger when people are running out."