Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake joined fire officials Saturday to distribute smoke detectors in Reservoir Hill, where a 2-year-old boy was killed in a one-alarm fire Tuesday.
"The Baltimore community suffered a tragedy here," said Rawlings-Blake. "It is a reminder to be vigilant when it comes to fire safety."
The mayor knocked on several doors asking residents if they needed the smoke alarms. While some declined — saying they already had working detectors — a neighbor a few doors down from the site of the fatal fire was happy to receive one.
"I appreciate it, because many times you don't understand how severe it can be without having smoke detectors," said Justin Campbell, who lives at the home. "I'm glad they're doing this for the community."
"Everybody's hurt" about the boy's death, Campbell added. "Everybody's been sending up their prayers and condolences to the family."
Two siblings of the toddler were rescued from the burning rowhouse by construction workers from a nearby site, city fire officials said. Their father was critically injured in the blaze.
Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Capt. Roman Clark said the father remains in critical condition, while the two boys rescued are in fair condition. Clark said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The names of the victims have not been released.
The boy's death marked the city's first fire death of the year, fire officials said. Teddy bears have been placed at the steps of the burned-out Whitelock Street home.
Fire officials said they install free smoke detectors throughout the city year-round. They encourage residents with outdated detectors to accept the new ones, which come with 10-year lithium tamper-resistant batteries. Firefighters also perform fire safety checks, officials said.
Since the federally funded program, called Neighborhood Alarm Sweep, began about two years ago, more than 15,000 smoke detectors have been installed, fire officials said. The detectors are installed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Assistant fire chief Mark Wagner said the department performs installations and safety checks each Saturday. Officials also inspect furnace areas and do other fire and carbon monoxide inspections, he said.
"But nothing is more important than having a smoke detector," said Wagner, adding that officials hoped to install up to 350 alarms Saturday. "We can talk about an exit drill in the home or combustibles too close the heater, about unattended cooking or smoking in the bed, but it's imperative you have a smoke alarm in your dwelling."
Officials said that last year 17 people were killed in fires, down from 20 in 2013.