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In Allegany County, first responders from the Cumberland Fire Department were dispatched to a reported fire on Columbia Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20, officials said.
Upon arrival, firefighters were met by heavy smoke and flames coming from a two-story duplex that was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm fire, prompting crews from surrounding departments to answer the call.
Officials say that the fire was under control within 15 minutes, but a subsequent search of the house led to the discovery of a woman on the second floor. Her body has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore to be identified.
According to the fire marshal, investigators worked through the evening and determined the fire started in a second-floor bedroom, though the cause remains under investigation.
“Investigators could not confirm the presence of working smoke alarms within the home,” officials stated. “The Office of the State Fire Marshal stresses to all Maryland residents that smoke alarms are the difference between life and death when a fire breaks out.”
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