BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A person of interest is being sought in connection with a vacant home fire that killed three firefighters Monday, the Baltimore division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced Friday.
The agency released two images of the person of interest taken from surveillance footage. A reward of $20,000 was announced for information that leads to the identification of the person. Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski both matched the $10,000 Reward offered by the ATF.
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“The families and the community deserve that closure and we want anybody that has information to come forward,” Scott told WJZ. “This money means that we value the lives of our first responders, of our heroes, that literally gave the ultimate sacrifices for our city.”
We are looking for information on an individual who may be connected to the fire at 205 South Stricker Street. I am matching the reward offered by @ATFBaltimore, so that we can bring justice to the families of the fearless men and women of @baltimorefire that we lost this week. https://t.co/c8uJwOXPZS
— Brandon M. Scott (@MayorBMScott) January 28, 2022
“It’s like family in the first responder family, so there are a lot of intersections, not just in our region, but by those who have been affected by this tragedy,” Olszewski told WJZ. “We wanted all of the region and all of our own first responders to know that we are stepping up on behalf of them so that we can really bring this perpetrator to justice for this awful act.
In solidarity with our regional partners @MayorBMScott and @BaltimoreFire, Baltimore County is matching this $10,000 reward in support of efforts to swiftly bring the perpetrators of this act to justice. https://t.co/SzeeIAOMIo
— County Executive Johnny Olszewski (@BaltCoExec) January 28, 2022
Fire crews were initially called to the scene of a two-alarm fire at a row home in the 200 block of S. Stricker Street about 6 a.m. Monday, according to the Baltimore City Fire Department.
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Four firefighters were trapped after a partial collapse in the building.
The firefighters killed were identified as Lt. Paul Butrim, firefighter/paramedic Kelsey Sadler, and EMT/firefighter Kenny Lacayo. The fourth firefighter, John McMaster, was hospitalized in critical condition but has since been released from the hospital.
There’s no word yet on the cause of the fire, which remains under investigation.
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In addition to identifying the person of interest, investigators are also looking for any more pictures or videos of the fire people may have. Those can be submitted via ATFtips@atf.gov
