CARROLL COUNTY, Md. — The Maryland State Fire Marshal is investigating two fatal fires in Carroll County on Monday.
The first fire began just after 8:30 a.m. in Westminster. Firefighters were called to the Boston Inn on Baltimore Boulevard after guests saw smoke coming from one of the rooms.
According to firefighters, the fire was nearly self-extinguished. 48-year-old Daniel Lee Rhoton of Westminster was pronounced dead at the scene.
At around 2:20 p.m., firefighters were called to the 500 block of Daisy Avenue in Taneytown for reports of a townhouse on fire.
When firefighters arrived, they found that a mother and her three-year-old daughter had escaped from the house. The grandmother was trapped upstairs. 68-year-old Claudette Mosher Hyatt was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
In response to these incidents, State Fire Marshal Brian S. Geraci is asking Marylanders to check their smoke alarms. Smoke alarms were present in both incidents, but neither were activated.
According to Deputy State Fire Marshals, these incidents are unrelated.
