Woman killed, 2 in critical condition after Chillum house fire

A woman died and two men are in critical conditionafter flames broke out at a home on Somerset Place in Chillum, Maryland Sunday morning.

The cause of the fire is still undetermined.

Around 9:30 a.m. Sunday firefighters got the call for a fire in the basement of the home with reports of people trapped.

A neighbor told News4 the woman who died was in her nineties.

There are handicapped parking signs in front of the home and a wheelchair ramp, but it is not known if mobility issues affected her ability to get out.

“They use a cane to even walk, so I’m not sure what the circumstance she was in at that time, if she was sleeping, I don’t know. It’s very sad, very sad,” said a neighbor, who asked News4 to not identify them.

Firefighters went door to door in the neighborhood checking smoke alarms and handing out fire safety information. They installed smoke alarms in some homes in the neighborhood

“So far they’ve been through about 100 doors,” said Jonathan Bender, assistant chief of Prince George’s County Fire and EMS. “They’re leaving some information with them if nobody;s home. They have been checking some smoke alarms as well.”

Back at the home, residents expressed sadness and concern that their neighbor couldn’t make it out in time.

“She lived here a very long time and she was very nice,” the neighbor said. “She was a very religious person. […] She would always tell me she’s coming from church.”

The medical examiner will determine the woman’s cause of death.

This is the second fire fatality in Prince George’s County so far this year.