Baltimore County

Rally protests Rosewood closing

Friends and family of residents of the Rosewood Center in Owings Mills protested the facility's scheduled 2010 closing at a rally in Owings Mills yesterday.

Those who attended the rally said the state is rushing to close the center without providing appropriate homes for the remaining residents.

Rosewood supporters said the facility has provided quality care for their loved ones, despite reports to the contrary.

"We like and trust Rosewood," said Gary Tomak, a Baltimore resident whose son has lived at the center for 20 years, in a statement distributed by e-mail after the event.

Some rally participants said they don't want their relatives to live in private group homes, which they said can be poorly staffed and unsafe.

Lynn Anderson

Burnt body found; identity is unknown

A man walking his dog early yesterday discovered a badly burnt body in a field near Middlesex Elementary School in Baltimore County, police said.

Cpl. George Erhardt said the victim was a male of unknown age. Authorities do not know how long the body was in the field off Langley Road, he said.

"The body was burned beyond recognition," Erhardt said.

He said the medical examiner's office will determine the cause of death and that homicide detectives are investigating.

Greg Garland

Baltimore

Fire kills woman; firefighter injured

An early-morning fire that started in the kitchen of a two-story rowhouse claimed a woman's life in the city's Cherry Hill neighborhood yesterday, fire officials said.

Shirley Burton-Moore, 57, was found unconscious on the first floor when firefighters arrived at the dwelling in the 2800 block of Booker T. Drive, said Fire Department spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright. She was taken to Harbor Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The fire started in the kitchen and spread to other rooms, Cartwright said, causing heavy smoke damage. The fire did not extend to other dwellings, he said.

A firefighter suffered a back injury after he fell through the floor while fighting the blaze, Cartwright said, and was treated for injuries that were not considered serious.

Greg Garland

Somerset County

Fire at UMES was arson, official says

The state fire marshal's office said a fire that prompted the evacuation of a student services center yesterday afternoon at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore was intentionally set.

Deputy State Fire Marshal Joe Zurolo said the fire was started in a men's bathroom in the two-story building and caused about $4,000 in damage. No injuries were reported.

Zurolo said about 50 students and employees were evacuated. The fire was confined to the bathroom and was brought under control in about 10 minutes by 20 firefighters who responded to the scene.

Associated Press

Anne Arundel

Boy, 8, rescued from storm drain

An 8-year-old boy had to be rescued by Anne Arundel County firefighters yesterday after he got stuck in a storm drain while trying to retrieve a ball, a spokesman for the county Fire Department said.

Shortly before 11 a.m., the boy, whose name was not released, became stuck up to his waist between the curb and the metal grate of a storm drain in the 700 block of Herald Harbor Road in Crownsville. He was caught for several minutes until he was freed by firefighters, said Lt. Frank Fennell, the spokesman.

Fennell said the boy was taken by ambulance to Baltimore-Washington Medical Center, where he was evaluated for possible injuries.

Richard Irwin