August 09, 2002|BY A SUN STAFF WRITER
An Anne Arundel County man was treated for smoke inhalation last night after he and his father tried to put out a fire at their house in the Riva Trace neighborhood, county fire officials said.
Michael Cook, 41, was flown by helicopter to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore and was receiving treatment last night in an oxygen-rich chamber. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in serious but stable condition. Cook's father, Michael Mileo, also inhaled smoke but refused treatment, officials said.
Cook and Mileo were eating on the back deck of the two-story house on Spring Race Court at 5 p.m. when a smoke alarm sounded. Smoke was drifting from the basement, and the two tried to douse the blaze with a garden hose before giving up and going outside, fire officials said.
The fire caused $75,000 in damage to the $500,000 house and made the structure unsafe to live in. The family planned to stay with friends or relatives last night.
John Scholz, spokesman for the county Fire Department, said the fire started near a computer in a basement recreation room and appears to have been sparked by faulty electrical equipment.
