98-Year-Old Woman Dies In Cockeysville Fire
COCKEYSVILLE, Md. (WJZ) — A 98-year-old woman is dead after a two-alarm fire spread throughout a Cockeysville home.
The fire broke out late Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and crews spent hours working to contain it, in part because of the high winds that caused the fire to spread quickly throughout the home- creating a major challenge for firefighters.
Crews rushed to the 800 block of Padonia Road around 11:35 p.m. Wednesday night to attack the massive blaze in the single-story rancher.
One elderly woman was found in the back bedroom and rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
At around 11:52 p.m., all fire personnel were evacuated from the structure due to unsafe and deteriorating conditions.
From that point, fire crews used "defensive operations" to fight the fire, according to Baltimore County Fire.
The fire, which destroyed the home, was knocked down at 12:46 a.m.
"They had to be evacuated because the weather played a factor in the fire spread of the home so crews had to evacuate and regroup," said Nicholas Tyson, Baltimore County Fire.
The weather wasn't the only obstacle for crews.
"This is a non-hydrant area, so our tankers supplied the water and they act as a hydrant, we had to request additional crews," Tyson said.
After crews cleared the scene around 4 a.m., they returned in less than two hours to put out a section that had reignited due to the blustery conditions.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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