Evening star., 1949-07-11
-Four Die in Baltimore
In Second Row-House
Fire in "A Hours
By the Associated Press

by tNe NssOIt0'eo 'ess
BALTIMORE, July 11.-Fire
swept through one of Baltimore S
old row apartment houses today
and killed Virginia grandmother
and three of her grandchildren.
A heroic fire battalion chief.
Paul w. Reynolds, made three
trips into the glazing ground floor
of the three-story building before
he could find a 5-month-old baby
in her crib and carry her to
safety.
The mother of two of the vic
tins was burned critically. Fire
men carried her and four other
persons down ladders from the
second and third floors.
The dead were Mrs. Earl Pugh,
Sc, who had come here from
Charlottesville, Va, to visit her
daughter; James Harvey Pugh,
7-year-old grandson who came
here with Mrs. Pugh; Joan Ken
nedy, Is, ana Peggy Kennedy, 10.
whose mother Mrs. Pugh was Wis
iting.
Mrs. Florence Kennedy, 38,
mother of Joan and Peggy, had
burns over half of her body when
firemen brought her down from
the third floor. Rescued along
with her and hospitalized for
burns on the arm and shock was
her 14-year-old daughter, Myrna.
Baby Burned Slightly.
The 5-month-old Frances Shar-
ron Cavey was slightly injured.
Her parents left her behind In
the confusion when they fed
their apartment on the first floor.
The fire spread to the tops OF
three adjoining buildings in the
solid block of row houses adjoining
the North avenue and Charles
street business district. A score OF
residents were driven from their
homes.
The scene is just around the
corner from another row house
fire which burned eight dwellings
early yesterday. In that blaze
22-year-old deaf mute woman was
trapped in a locked room on the
third floor. Her stepfather Is
held for questioning.
Nyrna Kennedy said she was
awakened by shattering glass. She
was sleeping in a third-fioor bed
room. Her two sisters were In an
other bed in the same room. She
yelled to Joan and Peggy but
Peggy didn't answer.
Ran to Front.
She began yelling and ran to
the front of the apartment, where
her mother was sleeping. In the
middle room she passed her grand
mother, Mrs. Pugh. who said:
Don't get excited. Myrna. Be
calm"
Joan followed her into her
mothers, bedroom but she didn't
see the sister again.
When the first flremen arrived,
Myrna and her mother were at
a front window of the third floor.
Myrna was starting to Jump.
Spectators gathered in the
street and begged her to wait until
the firemen could put up ladders.
Flames were licking out the WIN
dow behind Myrna and her mother.
Mr.. and Mrs. Francis Cavey,
parents of the rescued baby, ap-
parently were awakened by the
flames about 2:10 am.
Mr.. Cavey ran to NEARBY
corner and asked some men there
to turn in an alarm. He returned
to his wife and they were led
from the building by firemen.
Dashes Into Building.
Several minutes later Mr.. Cavey
realized that neither he nor his
wife had brought Frances Sharon.
Battalion Chief Reynolds learned
from them exactly where her crib
was located and then made his
three dashes into the building.
Firemen said they belived the
blaze started in the middle room
of the Cavey apartment and went
straight up through the building.
Mr.. Cavey said the fire was all
around him when he woke up.
Deputy Chief Michael H. Lotz
said he had never seen a dwelling
60 up so fast. His men could not
get into the building for more
than a few moments after they
arrived.
Stepfather Arrested.
The death of the deaf mute yes
terday morning led to the arrest
of her stepfather after it was
learned that the room in which
she died was padlocked from the
outside.
The charred body of Mary
Kirtley was discovered after a
four-alarm fire which drove more
than 100 residents of an apart
LOST.
IA "