City house where 4 died in fire had 2 smoke detectors

Authorities initially reported that they found no evidence of devices

Two activated smoke detectors were present in an East Baltimore rowhouse where four people died in a fire Wednesday night, a city Fire Department spokesman said.

Investigators found two smoke alarms in the house, located in the 1600 block of E. Oliver St., said the spokesman, Capt. Roman Clark.

Fire officials had initially reported that they found no evidence of smoke detectors in the house. However, a man who survived the blaze told relatives that he heard an alarm that prompted him to escape.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Clark said. The four victims included a 2-year-old girl.

City firefighters plan to conduct a door-to-door sweep in the neighborhood Saturday to install smoke alarms and to ensure that existing detectors are working, Clark said.

In 2008, nearly half of the fire fatalities in Maryland took place in homes with working smoke detectors, according to a report by the state fire marshal.