Investigators with Marylands Office of the State Fire Marshal, Salisbury Police Department, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are conducting an investigation involving a fatal dwelling fire in the 100 block of First Street in Salisbury that claimed two lives.
Officials said just before 3:00, Saturday morning crews from the Salisbury Fire Department and nearby fire companies responded to the two-alarm fire. The blaze, discovered by a passerby, took thirty-five firefighters approximately 40 minutes to control. Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters located two deceased occupants within the single-family dwelling converted into seven individual apartments. The victims have preliminarily identified to be a 62-year-old male and an 82-year-old female. Both victims resided in separate units. The victims will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore to determine the exact cause of death and where they will be positively identified.
A total of seven other residents were able to escape safely. Deputy State Fire Marshals have concluded the fire originated in a downstairs unit, and while the cause remains under investigation, a space heater igniting combustibles can not be ruled out, officials said Saturday. Investigators determined smoke alarms were present and activated.
A joint investigation between the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the local jurisdiction is a standard operating procedure when a fatal fire occurs.
Image Credits: Office of the State Fire Marshal