UPDATE 8/14/2017:

MILLERSVILLE, Md. – At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Thursday, August 10th, multiple 9-1-1 calls were received reporting smoke coming from a dwelling in the 1500 block of Lincoln Drive in the Columbia Beach community of Shady Side. First arriving firefighters reported one story, single family dwelling fully involved with fire.

The fire was brought under control in less than 25 minutes by fifty firefighters from Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties and the City of Annapolis. During a search of the residence, firefighters found an adult male deceased in the home. Fire Investigators assisted by detectives from the Anne Arundel County Police remained on the scene through the day investigating the fire. The deceased male was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Baltimore for an autopsy.

The deceased has been positively identified as William Maurice Minor Jr., 69 of the Lincoln Drive address.

The OCME has ruled that the cause of death was a gunshot wound. Members of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department Arson and Explosives Investigation Unit with assistance from Anne Arundel County Police homicide detectives have determined that the cause is suicide. The fire is preliminarily believed to be intentionally set pending laboratory analysis of samples obtained at the scene.

Shady Side, MD- One person is found deceased and a home is destroyed after a fire in Shady Side.

On Thursday, August 10, 2017, at approximately10:40 am, calls began to come into the 911 Communications Center from the Columbia Beach community of Shady Side to report smoke coming out of a house in the 1500 block of Lincoln Drive.  A full one alarm assignment of fifty (50) firefighters and apparatus from Anne Arundel County, Annapolis, and Calvert County were dispatched to call. 

Due to the fact that Columbia Beach sits on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay, two fire boats were dispatched, in addition to the standard three tankers, to assist with water supply as Shady Side does not have fire hydrants.  Upon arrival, Fire Department personnel found a single story single family home fully involved with fire.  The fire was brought under control in under 25 minutes and in that time a search was made of the residence and a body was located inside the structure.  Units remained on location until after 4 pm while a thorough investigation was conducted.

Members of the Anne Arundel County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit, assisted by the Anne Arundel County Police Department, are working to determine the cause of the fire and the cause of death. The identity of the victim will be released after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME)  completes their investigation and next of kin have been notified.  There were no other injures and no dollar loss has been established for the property.

 

Images provided by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department