Around The Region

A woman was hospitalized last night in critical condition after suffering from smoke inhalation during a two-alarm fire at her home in the 1400 block of E. Fayette St. in East Baltimore, a Fire Department spokesman said. The fire caused extensive damage to the three-story brick dwelling. In addition, a firefighter probing for fire in an adjacent dwelling was bitten by a dog. The firefighter remained on duty, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, the spokesman. Reported at 8:40 p.m., the fire raced through the house and was declared under control in 40 minutes. At the height of the fire, firefighters entered the dwelling and found the woman lying on the floor of a rear first-floor bathroom and nearly unconscious. The woman, whose name was not released, was taken by ambulance to Johns Hopkins Hospital, Cartwright said. He said the cause and origin of the fire were under investigation. It was not known whether the house had any smoke detectors. Sixty-five firefighters and 22 pieces of apparatus responded to the alarms.

Richard Irwin

Farmers honored for conservation efforts

The Baltimore County Soil Conservation District has named two county farmers 2008 Cooperators of the Year for their contributions to the conservation of natural resources. They are Jay McGinnis, who runs a 1,350-acre grain operation in White Hall, and Sandra Ehnen, who with her husband, Dan Dreyfuss, owns a 47-acre property in Upperco that is enrolled in a conservation easement through the Maryland Rural Legacy Program.