Fatal Fire Kills 62-Year-Old Woman In Anne Arundel County: Officials

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A fatal house fire in Annapolis killed a woman this week, officials said.

Crews identified the victim as 62-year-old Marianne Forrest, who owned the home that caught fire Saturday.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department said the blaze also charred the neighboring home, but those occupants escaped safely.

Investigators estimated that the fire caused a combined $500,000 in damage.

The cause of the fire and its area of origin are still under investigation. Officials don't know if the two-story single-family home had smoke detectors.

A neighbor called 911 Saturday around 2:12 a.m. to report the blaze in the 3200 block of Blackwalnut Drive, a press release said.

First responders said they arrived to heavy fire, conducted an extensive search and found Forrest inside.

Medics said they pronounced Forrest dead at the scene.

The American Red Cross and the Anne Arundel County Crisis Response Team are helping the neighbors whose home was also damaged.

Sixty firefighters said they controlled the flames in 56 minutes.

The AACoFD thanked these agencies for assisting its response:

• Annapolis Fire Department
• Naval Support Activity Annapolis Fire Department
• Office of the State Fire Marshal
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

This was Anne Arundel County's fourth fire death of 2023. The fire department said the other victims were:

• May 3 - John S. Billing, 54, of Pasadsena died from injuries sustained during a fire at his home. The home did have working smoke alarms.
• May 5 - Anthony Slough, 59, of Glen Burnie died from injuries sustained during a fire at a home he was living in. The home did not have smoke detectors.
• June 5 - Mark A. Harvey, 50, of Severn died from injuries sustained due to the fire he intentionally set during a police-related incident.

This map shows the area where officials said the Saturday fire happened.