Woman Found Dead In Crofton House After Fire: Officials

CROFTON, MD — A woman was found dead Thursday in a Crofton house by Anne Arundel County Fire Department crews, according to officials. The residential fire at 1831 Ralston Place was reported about 4 p.m. by a resident who returned home to find smoke throughout the house.

The resident said when he opened the front door there was smoke in the house; firefighters didn't see flames, but the house’s windows were stained with smoke and it filled the home. The victim was found in the sunroom, and firefighters believe a blaze in that room had extinguished itself before they arrived.

The Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit is working to determine the cause of the fire. There were no working smoke detectors in the house.

Authorities have not released the name of the dead woman.

One adult resident has been displaced by the fire.

This is the fourth fire fatality so far this year in Anne Arundel County.

• Joseph Willinger, 78, of the 500 block of Ski Lane in Millersville, died on April 15 from injuries suffered when he burned leaves and sticks in a legal burn pit. He attempted to kindle the fire using gasoline when fuel vapors apparently ignited from the pit back to Willinger, causing the burn injuries.
• Feb. 14: Betty Lee Farley, 84, died from burns she received when her robe came into contact with a hot stovetop and caught fire. Farley was a resident of Catholic Charities Senior Housing at Friendship Village in the 1200 block of Odenton Road in Odenton.
• Jan. 30: A dwelling fire in the 400 block of Wellham Avenue in Glen Burnie killed 37-year-old George Christopher Kouimanis. The fire was accidental with an undetermined cause. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.