Fire fighters plan safety check of W. Balt. neighborhood

Firefighters will be going door to door Saturday morning in West Baltimore to check for working smoke alarms and install them if requested, a fire official said.

The safety sweep comes one week after a rowhouse fire in the 400 block of S. Fulton Ave. killed two people.

Mother and son, 30-year-old Ernest Ridder and 60-year-old Donna Ridder, were found dead on the third floor when firefighters reached them, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a fire department spokesman.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, he said Friday night.

Beginning at 10 a.m., firefighters will go to houses in the Midtown-Edmondson and Carrollton Ridge neighborhoods, which are served by the fire companies located at the intersection of South Pulaski and Ramsay streets and the 2200 block of Edmondson Ave.

Residents can call 311 and request smoke alarms. Firefighters will make same-day arrangements to install the safety devices, the department said.

steve.kilar@baltsun.com

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