In Fatal Fire, Lighter Ignited Underneath Bed

A fire in the Marley section of Glen Burnie that killed one woman and displaced 11 people on Friday was caused by a lighter that was ignited underneath a bed, a fire department spokesman said.

Anne Arundel County Fire Department Division Chief Keith Swindle said the blaze at the single-story multiple-family home in the unit block of Sumac Road began when Shari Lee DeStefano used the lighter to search for something under the bed. The bed ignited and the fire spread. DeStefano, 50, later died at a local hospital. 

DeStefano was the second person to die in a fire in Anne Arundel County in 2013. On Jan. 2, a man died in a fire at a mobile home in Maryland City. 

See also: 

• Woman Dies in Marley House Fire