2 dead, 4 injured in fire at Baltimore assisted living home

BALTIMORE – Two people perished and four more were critically injured in a fire that swept through an assisted living home in northwest Baltimore, officials said Friday.

Firefighters called to the home about 2 a.m. found heavy smoke and fire showing from the first floor, Baltimore fire department spokeswoman Blair Adams said. The fire department issued a release saying the home was being operated as Kozy Kottage, an assisted living center.

Firefighters pulled seven people from the home and one person refused treatment, Adams said. Six were taken to hospitals in critical condition and officials later learned that two had died, she said. It took 40 firefighters more than an hour to bring the fire under control. The cause is under investigation.

Kaddia Jameson said she was awakened about 2:30 a.m. by a phone call from her next door neighbor, who told her there was a fire across the street.

“She said, `Get up,’ and I ran outside,” Jameson said. “I saw smoke coming from the back, the popping, the windows popping out of frame.”

By the time she woke up, Jameson said about 12 firetrucks had already arrived. Her neighbor had woken up to walk her dog, noticed the smoke and called 911. Jameson said the neighbor rushed over to the house to help one of the victims out of the house.

Fire officials did not release the age and gender of the deceased. The Office of the State Medical Examiner will determine their causes of death.