Baltimore Suffers Deadliest Fire Toll Since 1998

Thirty-four people have died in fires in Baltimore this year, making 2007 the city’s deadliest year of fires since 1998.

Baltimore City Fire Marshal Bob Doedderlein says the victims didn’t have working smoke detectors in 10 of the 24 fires.

A fire at a rowhouse on Cecil Avenue in northeast Baltimore killed eight people, and three died in a blaze at a west Baltimore apartment building. Without those fires, the city would have been on par with last year’s total of 23 deaths.

High-casualty fires are becoming more common both in Maryland and nationwide. The state has recorded 91 fire deaths this year, the most since 2001.

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Information from: The (Baltimore) Sun,
http://www.baltimoresun.com