Trial scheduled for Baltimore man accused in death of three firefighters

A trial date has been scheduled for the Maryland man facing charges for sparking the massive Stricker Street fire, which killed three Baltimore firefighters in 2022.

James Barnett, a 57-year-old man from Baltimore, has been held in jail without bond since being arrested in November 2025.

According to public records, Barnett's trial is set to begin on October 2, 2026.

Lt. Kelsey Sadler, Lt. Paul Butrim, and EMT/firefighter Kenny Lacayo all died in the fire when they became trapped in the rowhome on Jan. 24, 2022.   

For three years, Barnett successfully evaded police. However, investigators were able to track him down using neighborhood surveillance footage.

Police say Barnett was already on their radar, as he had 13 prior convictions, including breaking into vacant homes, before he was charged for the deadly fire.

Addressing vacancies in Baltimore

Multiple lawsuits have been filed by the families of the firefighters who were killed, claiming the city failed to keep a record of unsafe buildings. Yet judges have thrown each of them out, stating that they fail to show that the city intended to harm the firefighters.

Following the incident, Baltimore City launched an Unsafe Vacant Marking Initiative to help first responders identify high-risk vacant structures.

Additionally, Mayor Scott launched a $3 billion vacant property plan in December 2023 to address the crisis.

In late 2024, the city reported 13,000 building vacancies. As of Friday, April 3, there were 11,860 vacancies in the city, according to data from Baltimore City.