| photo and article courtesy frederick news post
A woman was killed early Thursday in the second floor of a house that caught fire. Officials believe the fire started in the kitchen.
A woman was killed early Thursday in a fire that officials believe started in the kitchen of a house she was renting when someone was cooking food.
Firefighters were called to the 800 block of East South Street just before 3:30 a.m. for a report of the fire, said Tom Owens, director of the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.
When they arrived, flames were showing from both floors of the house.
Owens said firefighters were told that someone was trapped upstairs. They immediately initiated rescue efforts.
"Tactically, you actually delay the extinguishment of the fire so you can direct your resources toward the search," Owens said.
Firefighters quickly found a woman -- identified by the property owner as Doris Mills -- unconscious in an upstairs bedroom, Owens said.
Mills, who Owens said was in cardiac arrest, was taken out of the house through an upstairs window, given CPR at the scene and taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Owens said it took 50 fire and rescue personnel about 20 minutes from the time they arrived to extinguish the fire, which nearly gutted the house.
Russell Mills, the victim's brother, was taken to the hospital as a precaution, as was a firefighter who suffered second-degree burns to his wrist. The firefighter was treated and released, Owens said.
Investigators from the Maryland Fire Marshal's Office believe the fire started in the kitchen as a result of cooking, Owens said.
Robert Dunn, the owner of the house, said he and another tenant were outside bringing trash around to the street when he smelled what he thought was food burning. He then saw Russell Mills outside the house shouting that there was a fire.
Dunn said the fire seemed manageable and he got out a fire extinguisher to put it out, but the extinguisher didn't work.
He said he called 911, and by the time firefighters arrived the flames were out of control.
"It's amazing," Dunn said. "I wasn't that concerned about it at first, but in a minute or two it was raging."
Dunn said Doris and Russell Mills, who had been living in the house for more than 20 years and renting from Dunn for about five years, were the ideal tenants, always paying their rent on time and keeping the lawn in good condition. He said Mills loved animals, and she and her brother always left bird food in the yard, attracting a flock of cardinals to the property.
"They were great tenants," Dunn said.
Emily Moore, public relations and volunteer manager at the Frederick Rescue Mission, where Doris Mills often ate, said she will be remembered as someone who always had a smile on her face and was eager to help out with distributing food.
"Of all the people I've eaten with at the mission, she was one of the friendliest people I've ever talked to," Moore said. "She never seemed sad about her situation. I'm still in shock. I don't think it's really sunk in yet."
Owens said investigators have determined that there were no smoke detectors in the house.
"In my view, that is a critical factor in this fatality," Owens said. "These are the types of fires that a much earlier warning in the form of a smoke detector sounding could have made a difference."
Owens said firefighters will canvass the area of the fire soon to determine if residents have working smoke detectors. He said anyone who does not have a smoke detector can have one installed free of charge. |
