Baltimore County records first fire-related death of 2026
A 76-year-old woman died Sunday, Jan. 4, after a house fire in Parkville, marking Baltimore County's first fire fatality of 2026, according to fire department officials.
The fire began in the basement of a home in the 1700 block of Weston Avenue early Sunday morning, officials said.
Once firefighters arrived at the scene, a resident said that a tenant was still in the basement of the home. During a search, crews found the resident in cardiac arrest. She was removed from the home and taken to a hospital.
The resident, later identified as Julia Ann Anderson, 76, died from her injuries, officials said.
Officials said a man also escaped from the home after being alerted by a fire alarm. He suffered life-threatening injuries, but is expected to survive.
Investigators determined that the fire was caused by smoking materials that were improperly discarded.
Fire fatalities in Maryland
According to data from the U.S. Fire Administration, there were 46 deaths from house fires in Maryland in 2025. In 2024, there were 45 house fire fatalities across the state.
The Maryland Fire Marshal reported that fire-related deaths dropped by nearly 13% in 2024, according to a report released in July.
According to the report, house fires made up for 79% of fire fatalities in the state in 2024. Baltimore County saw the second-most fire deaths in 2024, with 13 reported. In 2023, the county recorded 11 fire-related deaths.
The report also detailed that smoking materials were the leading cause of fire deaths in 2024.