Authorities Identify Victim Found At Edgewater Brush Fire

EDGEWATER, MD — Firefighters responding to the report of a brush fire made a startling discovery Wednesday, finding a dead man nearby. Anne Arundel County firefighters arrived at 129 Dorsey Drive in Edgewater Sept. 4 at approximately 1:40 p.m. Initial reports had cited a small brush fire, a shed fire and a house on fire.

Instead, firefighters found a small pile of debris on fire at the back of two homes and a deceased adult nearby. The fire melted the siding on the two homes, but no other damage was reported. The deceased person has been identified as James Edward Gilmer, 35, of Dorsey Drive in Edgewater.

Investigators have since learned that the fire occurred in an approximately seven by four-foot plastic-style storage shed. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by members of the Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit. The cause and manner of death remain pending from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office.