LANDOVER, Md. -- Two people are dead following an early-morning house fire in Landover.
The blaze broke out in the basement of a home in the 7200 block of Flagstaff Street at about 3 a.m. Walter Crawley, 78, was found dead in the basement, and 65-year-old Eva Kinsey was found in the living room. She was taken to a local hospital where she later died.
Both residents appeared to have been awake at the time, investigators said, leading them to believe that the home's smoke detector was working.
Neighbor Donald Smothers smelled smoke and called 911 while banging on the doors and windows of the house, but he could not get inside.
The fire was accidental and started in the basement, fire department spokesman Mark Brady said, but the cause is not yet known. It caused an estimated $50,000 damage, the Associated Press reported.
