One person killed in "suspicious" Northeast Baltimore house fire on Saturday

BALTIMORE -- One person died in a suspicious house fire in the Northeast Baltimore neighborhood of Belair-Edison on Saturday, according to authorities.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire in the 3300 block of Cardenas Avenue in the afternoon, a Baltimore City Fire Department spokesperson said.

After battling the flames, they found a deceased person inside the house, according to authorities.

One neighbor told WJZ that they tried to help a man who was in distress inside the house.

"I can hear him hollering," the neighbor said. "I can hear him hollering and screaming. I'm like, 'Come on out. Come on out.'"

The neighbor said the flames made it too dangerous for him to enter the house.

"It was sad," he said. "Like, you couldn't do nothing. You really couldn't do anything. I couldn't do anything."

Another neighborhood resident said they thought someone was cooking at first. They were unaware that someone was trapped in the house.

"I didn't know exactly what was going on," the resident said. "I thought someone was cooking until I noticed most of the windows were burnt out."

First responders say they were unable to determine if the person was a male or a female, according to the fire department's spokesperson.

The fire drew many people to the area, including those people who wanted to make sure their loved ones were OK.

One man, Wyatt, from Baltimore County, drove to the neighborhood to check on his mother.

"It is a little worrisome considering it is so close to her home," he said. "But, you know, I'm going to check on her and make sure everything is good, make sure there are fire alarms and smoke detectors are working." 

The cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities said.

The Office of the State Medical Examiner will examine the person's body and determine the cause of death, the spokesperson said.

Homicide detectives were sent to the site of the fatal fire to assist with the investigation, according to a Baltimore Police Department spokesperson.

The person's death has not been ruled as a homicide at this time, the police spokesperson said.

The local firefighters' union noted in a social media post that the closest engine to the fire was "closed due to ongoing staffing crisis affecting" the Baltimore City Fire Department.

• Fire