JESSUP, Md. — An image of the house on Dorsey Run Road in Jessup shows the magnitude of the fire and its lone occupant, Stephanie Jones, who barely made it out alive.
“There were some witnesses that said they saw her getting out of the house,” said Aashish Kumar whose business adjoins the structure, “She was on fire getting out of the house too so we’re grateful the first responders got here on time to get her in proper care.”
The home is part of a mixed-use building, which also houses a high-end auto shop called Carrera Performance in the back.
Jessup house fire that left woman critically injured remains under investigation
While seven vehicles suffered damage outside the structure, a well-placed fire wall kept the flames from spreading to the space filled with an array of expensive vehicles and an additional three dozen of them in the back lot.
“We have a hot rod shop and we do general repair too, but a lot of stuff back here,” said Co-Owner Walid Antar, “It could have been fatal.”
The victim lived in the home with her middle school-aged grandson who was at a friend’s house across the street at the time of the fire.
Tragically, it did not spare him from witnessing things no child should have to experience.
“They saw the fire so he actually watched his grandmother run out of the house on fire,” Antar told us.
The victim’s family and friends have started a GoFundMe account to help with Stephanie’s medical bills as she begins her long road to recovery after losing her home, all of her belongings and even her dog in the fire.
“Our prayers to out to her and we’re just making sure she can recover,” said Antar, “That’s really where all our concern is at the moment."
Investigators still haven’t determined the cause of the fire.
