Pasadena Woman Dies From House Fire Injuries

PASADENA, MD — Anne Arundel County Fire Department officials have released the name of a Pasadena woman who died Thursday from injuries she suffered in a July 15 house fire. Brenda Chavis, 52, died from her injuries and is the sixth fire-related death in Anne Arundel County in 2018.

Several residents called 9-1-1 about 3:30 a.m. reporting that Chavis' house was on fire in the 3400 block of Brookhaven Road. One neighbor told emergency crews that they believed she was trapped in the home. Firefighters arrived to find fire coming from the front of the two-story, single-family house.

Inside the house firefighters located Chavis, who was unconscious, on the second floor. She was removed from the house, and received life-saving care from paramedics en route to Baltimore Washington Medical Center.

The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes by 35 firefighters. The cause of the fire is under investigation by members of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit.

Damage is estimated at $150,000. Two other occupants of the home have been displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross. There were no other injuries reported.

Fire investigators say the fire was accidental and the cause is undetermined.

The other fatal fires in the county this year are:

• June 11: A house fire in the 1100 block of Waterbury Heights Road in Crownsville killed Mary Anderson, the 86-year-old owner of the home. The cause of the fire is undetermined. There were working smoke alarms in the home.
• April 24: A house fire in the 3300 block of Sudlersville South in Maryland City killed Mary Lanthrip, an 84-year-old resident of the home. The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and began in the kitchen area. There were working smoke alarms in the house.
• April 21: A fire in a group home in the 7900 block of Stone Hearth Road in Severn killed two residents and an employee. Residents Walter McCardell, 61, and William Garcia, 44, and an employee, Barbara Brown, 66, were killed in the accidental fire. The fire was the result of an electrical fault in a duplex electrical receptacle located in a rear bedroom of the residence. There were working smoke alarms in the house.

Image via fire department