Kerosene Heater

ELECTRICITY WAS off at the Feick home in Gambrills last week, not because of the wrath of Hurricane Floyd, but because of failure to pay the utility bill. One of four brothers apparently lit a candle for light late at night. Their house caught fire. Two of the brothers, ages 5 and 10, died.The news was gut-wrenching -- and gave people more reason to pay heed when the Fuel Fund of Central Maryland solicits donations this winter.Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., after warning the family twice about failure to pay its bill, cut power to the home last Wednesday.

John Perry II was named the 1999 Firefighter of the Year for his 40 years of dedicated service at the Taneytown Volunteer Fire Company's annual banquet Dec. 20.Howard Welty received the president's award for 55 years of continuous service.The Top 10 Responder awards went to Mike Glass, Mike Clapsaddle, Ken Shoemaker, Donald Shoemaker, Brett Six, Jeff Stitely, Robert Trankley, Craig Bare, Jim Haines, Danny Knox and Danny Myers.Length-of-service awards also were given to members with five, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 45, 50 and 55 years of service to the fire company.

A Hampstead apartment building sustained $10,000 of fire damage Saturday evening because of a snake, said Bob Thomas, Maryland deputy chief fire marshal.Mr. Thomas said Gerald Allen of Hampstead left his apartment for a weekend visit to Buffalo, N.Y. Before leaving, the man turned up the heat in his apartment and turned on a broiler-oven to keep a pet snake warm while he was away.Extreme heat from the oven apparently ignited wood paneling near the kitchen stove of the apartment in the 4000 block of Gill Ave., the spokesman said.

BUSINESS DOW+41.10 12,556.08 NASDAQ +17.97 2,502.82 S&P+6.91 1,430.73 SUN INDEX +0.71 365.09 MARYLAND Teacher charged in sex offenses A popular teacher at a Howard County high school has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of sex offenses against students. The suspect was identied as a 52-year-old science teacher at River Hill High School in Clarksville. pg 1a Bromwell's severance targeted Federal prosecutors want to seize the $400,000 severance package to be paid to former state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell in return for his stepping down from IWIF, Maryland's largest insurance fund for injured employees.

A 41-year-old woman was killed yesterday and seven people were injured when a fire raced through a West Baltimore rowhouse -- a blaze investigators believe was sparked by either careless smoking or a toppled candle.The death of Carol Williams brings to three the number of people killed in city fires since Saturday, when two children, 5 and 11, died in Southwest Baltimore in a fire caused by an overheated extension cord.Fires and related deaths typically rise during colder months as many city residents struggle to heat homes.

Local firefighters have scheduled a series of open houses at fire stations and will be preaching safety tips this week as they highlight National Fire Prevention Week, which ends Sunday.Firefighters will demonstrate how to use fire extinguishers, how to use and maintain smoke detectors, and will offer safety tips for children, said Deputy Chief Edgar G. Shilling, of the county's bureau of fire prevention. People think "it happens to the guy down the street, but not to me," he said.During the first eight months of this year, 54 people have died in fires statewide, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

A 77-year-old man who died in a fire at his West Baltimore home Saturday has been identified as Albert Graham.Graham was the only person in the rowhouse in the 2400 block of W. North Ave. when a fire broke out on the second floor. The fire did not spread to adjoining homes, said Battalion Chief Hector L. Torres, a city Fire Department spokesman.Investigators have blamed the fire on an illegal kerosene heater placed too close to flammable materials, Torres said.Middle, high school students to compete in history contestMiddle and high school students from public and private schools will compete in the Maryland History Day State Competition from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdayat Thumel Business Center at the University of Baltimore.

Sixteen people, including five children, were displaced by a two-alarm fire that broke out before noon at a six-apartment building in New Windsor yesterday.Red Cross disaster team members were summoned to assist in providing emergency relief, but several of the residents appeared ready to take shelter with friends or relatives as subfreezing temperatures were predicted for last night.No one was injured in the blaze, according to Robert Thomas, state deputy chief fire marshal, who said no estimate of the damage had been made and that the cause was being investigated last night.

WASHINGTON -- The first hints of winter are upon much of the nation and, tragically, so are stories of people who died in their homes from fires that started while they tried to stay warm. I don't know what the exact numbers are, but I do know that every winter, in any city that battles real cold, countless poor Americans have to make a cruel choice. Do they pay the rent and buy some food, or do they pay the electric bill or buy some heating oil? Sadly, the choice for too many results in no heat and an accidental death caused by a space heater, a kerosene heater or even candles.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. Baltimore City Eastern District Drug arrest: Police armed with a search-and-seizure warrant Monday raided a house in the 100 block of N. Patterson Park Ave. and arrested a 20-year-old man and seized 65 capsules of suspected heroin valued at $650. Charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin was James Goodman of the 200 block of Henneman Ave. Burglary: Construction equipment and tools, all valued at more than $1,100, were stolen Tuesday from an apartment under renovation in the 900 block of N. Chester St. by someone who entered through a skylight.