Man, 51, killed in Arbutus fire
Grandmother, 97, rescued through window, critically injured; 2 others are hurt
A 51-year-old man was killed and his 97-year-old grandmother was critically injured in a house fire in Arbutus early Wednesday morning, officials said.
Michael Wayne Johnson was trapped on the second floor and died in the blaze, which happened just after midnight at the twostory, single-family home where he lived in the 900 block of Courtney Road, Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman Elise Armacost said.
Johnson’s sister, a Baltimore County police officer and a Maryland State Police trooper were among the first on the scene, and the three rescued Johnson’s grandmother through the 97-year-old’s bedroom window, Armacost said.
Johnson’s grandmother was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment. His sister and their mother, who was also in the home at the time, were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The identities of the sister, mother and grandmother have not been released by officials. Family members could not be reached for comment.
Investigators donned suits and helmets Wednesday afternoon to enter the charred remains of the house, which had a sign outside warning: “No Trespassing.”
Matt Foster, 34, a former firefighter EMT, lives across the street and said he helped pull Johnson’s mother from the building, then helped perform CPR on the grandmother.
“My instincts just kicked in,” Foster said. “I was just trying to do like I’ve been trained to do.”
Foster said he was at home last night when he heard a loud bang, then looked out the window to see the house across the street engulfed in flames.
He said he told his wife to call 911. He ran across the street and entered the burning house through the back door and pulled Johnson’s mother outside, just before a power line exploded.
Foster then helped a responding police officer perform CPRbydoingchest compressions on the 97-year-old.
Baltimore County police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer Peach confirmed that Foster performed CPR.
The hardest part of the tragedy, Foster said, was seeing Johnson’s mother cry.
“There was nothing we could do — just helpless, you know?” Foster said.
One of the injured family members was reluctant to go to the hospital because she did not know where the family dog, Little Man, was, Foster said.
“I told her, if Little Man is around here, we’ll find him,” Foster said. Foster’s 14-yearold daughter found Little Man, he said, and Foster is currently keeping the dog at his home.
Little Man, a shaggy gray dog, was anxious and shaking on Wednesday, and looked frequently across the street at the burned-out house.
Foster said last night, his wife called the hospital where Johnson’s mother was to tell her that they had found her dog.
“You’re like Santa Claus,” Foster said the nurse told her.
“Hopefully that’s one thing that can ease her mind,” Foster said, calling it a “small victory.”
Thefire took more than two hours to bring under control and caused extensive damage to the home, Armacost said. The cause of the fire in under investigation. No evidence so far has suggested foul play, she said.
David Fitzwater, a school security guard in Reisterstown, grew up on Westland Boulevard in Arbutus. He drove from Reisterstown to see the remains of the fire.
“It’s a sad thing to see something like this happen in the area you grew up in,” he said.