Fire deaths fire probed as triple homicide
The deaths of three people in an apartment fire Monday in Aberdeen are being investigated as a triple homicide, police say.
At 5:34 a.m., firefighters were called for an alarm at the Highland Commons apartment complex in east Aberdeen. Crews saw “nothing evident” when they arrived but later found “smoke conditions and sprinkler activation” on the Roosevelt Avenue building’s second floor, the Aberdeen Fire Department said on social media.
Once inside, three people were found dead, said Captain C. William Reiber, of the Aberdeen Police Department. He said both the fire and the three deaths were suspicious.
Police later opened a homicide investigation into the deaths.
“It’s not something that takes place commonly, so it’s pretty shocking,” Reiber said.
The three deceased have not been identified, he said.
Six units total were affected by the fire, but Reiber said there were no other injuries. The residents of those units have been evacuated.
The fire started in the apartment where the three bodies were found and was contained there. Reiber said the sprinkler system “did its job.”
Six units had damage mainly due to water, though they aren’t sure yet to what extent.
Complex resident Thomas Getner, 60, said he woke up around 5 a.m. to his normal alarm Monday. He was lying in bed after starting his coffee when he heard banging upstairs. And then water started trickling into his apartment.
Getner, who lives on the first floor of the apartment building where the fire was reported, said he heard six loud bangs above him, comparing it to someone hammering the floor. Getner said he went upstairs and banged on the door of the apartment, but nobody answered.
Getner didn’t know who died, said two women in their 20s or 30s lived above him.
By the time Getner had gathered what he could fromhisapartmenttostart the trek to his girlfriend’s home, he was ankle-deep in water that had flooded his apartment.
Reiber said New Life Fellowship Church of God, a church in front of the apartment complex, is open for any residents who have been evacuated. The church was serving pizza to residents shortly after 11 a.m., and Mona Johnson, an administrator with the church, said there would be more later.
Office of the State Fire Marshal spokesperson Oliver Alkire said Monday morning the agency was assisting the Harford County municipality’s fire and police departments with the fire investigation.
Reiber encouraged any residents with video footage, such as from Ring cameras, to review it for any suspicious people. He said police were early in the investigation and were seeking the public’s assistance.
Harford County schools have been informed about the fire so they can offer trauma intervention to any affected students, Reiber said.
Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly called Monday’s fire a “sad event.”