A 70-year-old woman has been identified as the victim of a three-alarm fire in the Barclay neighborhood that tore through a rowhouse last week and left neighbors rattled.
The woman, identified as Paula McDonald, was found in the rear of the home on Friday morning by firefighters, officials said.
Baltimore City Fire Department Chief James Wallace said at a news conference Friday that a man had escaped from the home, but they believed a woman might have been trapped inside. It took searchers about a day to locate her body because of structural safety issues.
Firefighters responded to reports of the fire shortly after noon Thursday in the 2200 block of Guilford Avenue. It escalated into a three-alarm blaze as it spread to other homes.
The rowhome was razed and the neighboring home was condemned, said Veobia Akilo with the fire department. Neighbors began a GoFundMe to help residents repairs the smoke and fire damage to their homes.
Nearby residents remained shaken days later. One neighbor recalled smoke billowing from the block and people running from their homes. Some said they heard a loud boom that afternoon.
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The Red Cross of the National Capital & Greater Chesapeake Region said six households were impacted by the fire.
Fire officials are investigating the cause.
Banner reporters Darreonna Davis and Giacomo Bologna contributed to this article.
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