NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION
Date: 01/26/2026
Time: 3:06 a.m.
Location / Address: 75 Weed Lane, Elkton, Cecil County
Type of Incident: Structure Fire
Description of Structure / Property: Single-family, residential
Injuries or Deaths: 5 occupants injured
Estimated $ Loss: Structure: $200,000.00 Contents: $100,000.00
Smoke Alarm Status: Present and activated
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: Present and activated
Arrests(s): None
Primary Responding Fire Department: Singerly Fire Company
# of Alarms: 1 # of Firefighters: 70
Time to Control: 1 hour
Discovered By: Occupant
Area of Origin: Garage
Preliminary Cause: Under Investigation - an unspecified failure within a freezer can not be ruled out
Additional Information: SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES! Five occupants, four adults and a child, woke up to smoke alarms sounding and later observed heavy smoke coming from the garage. They immediately began leaving the home; however, they were able to rescue two of their three dogs. Three adults and the child were transported to Union Hospital in Elkton and later released, while another adult was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he was admitted. The home was equipped with fire sprinklers, which gave the occupants enough time to evacuate.
Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray stated, “Residential fire sprinklers are proven to save lives and prevent injuries. The best home fire safety practice is combining a smoke alarm, an escape plan, and residential fire sprinklers. This morning, we saw the effects of this winning combination.”
Maryland requires residential fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family homes across the state. Maryland law also prohibits local governments from weakening the sprinkler requirement in their jurisdiction’s building codes.
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