STATE FIRE MARSHALS INVESTIGATE DOUBLE FATAL FIRE 

WICOMICO COUNTY, MD (January 9, 2021) – A team of investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal, Salisbury Police Department, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is conducting an investigation involving a fatal dwelling fire at 119 First Street in Salisbury that claimed two lives.

The first 911 call was received at 2:55 a.m when a passerby discovered the home ablaze.
Salisbury Fire Department and nearby fire companies responded to the two-alarm fire. It took thirty-five firefighters approximately 40 minutes to control the fire. 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 (7) 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. 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.