BALTIMORE — A 63-year-old woman is dead after a rowhome fire on E. 38th Street, just off Greenmount Ave., Friday morning.
The person had been reported missing to firefighters when crews arrived on the scene.
The Baltimore City Fire Department responded to the scene around 4 a.m., and the fire was upgraded to 3-alarms around 4:45.
"I heard like screaming, coming from outside as well as inside from my housemates and I knew immediately lit was time to go," neighbor L.X. Hammond said.
Crews were able to get the fire under control shortly after 5 a.m.
Officials say firefighters found the body of the missing woman in the home where the fire started.
Hammond knew the woman inside.
"I'm distraught like I can't really wrap my mind around the fact that our neighbor is gone," They said. "Knowing who she is and that she had difficulties getting out that's really tough to deal with emotionally."
Neighbor Beatrice Shemway says she knew the woman had a soft spot for the neighborhood stray cats.
"She would feed them on her porch and they would kind of hang out and hide under the porch. So I guess they're going to be finding a new home now," Shemway said.
Smoke and flames damaged three homes in total, and one building had a partial ceiling collapse.
"We have a couple of broken windows, that's about the extent of our damage that we have to worry about," Shemway said.
"We got out pretty lucky, I think," Hammond said.
The fire displaced several residents and one resident was treated for minor injuries.
The Red Cross was on the scene and is providing emergency assistance for four families.
