Two residents of a Havre de Grace apartment building were injured after leaping from the second story of the structure to escape a fire Monday night, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
According to the Fire Marshal’s Office, James and Macy Gaskill were asleep in their apartment at 518 Franklin Street when an electrical malfunction in the living room’s baseboard heater sparked a fire shortly after 8 p.m.
The couple was awakened by smoke, and James Gaskill broke the bedroom window, allowing the pair to escape the third-story apartment by jumping to the second-story roof, and then again to the ground. Both sustained minor injuries in the jump, according to the Fire Marshal’s office, as well as smoke inhalation. A bystander who assisted the couple also sustained injuries.
The fire was brought under control in approximately 10 minutes by 60 firefighters from the Susquehanna and Aberdeen Fire Departments, supported by the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corp., Level Fire Department EMS, and Perryville Fire Department EMS. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries; one was transported to a local hospital, while the other refused treatment.
The building is a three-story, single-family dwelling converted into four apartments and owned by Drew Fender. The blaze caused an estimated $400,000 in damage to the structure and $500,000 in damage to its contents. Eight occupants were displaced as a result of the fire, and are being assisted by the Red Cross and the Harford County Disaster Assistance Team.
Did the place have smoke detectors? CO detectors? Fire extinguishers? As cheap as they are now NOBODY should go without.
The names are incorrect; they should read James “Evan” Gravitt and Macy Gaskill rather than James and Macy Gaskill.
In most reports, many of the details are skewed as well.