BALTIMORE — A man has been charged in connection with the 2022 fire on Stricker Street that killed three Baltimore City firefighters.
James Barnett, 57, has been charged with second-degree arson, three counts of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter according to Maryland Case Search.
RELATED: Stricker Street Fire Timeline
Barnett was previously charged in June 2023 for a series of burglaries in the Carrollton Ridge neighborhood.
Officials say he was seen breaking into vacant rowhomes, including on the day of the fatal fire.
RELATED: Alleged Carrollton Ridge serial burglar indicted on 20 counts
Paul Butrim, Kenny Lacayo and Kelsey Sadler all lost their lives in the line of duty because of the blaze. Another firefighter, John McMaster, was badly injured in the fire as well.
All four were battling flames inside the vacant home when it partially collapsed, trapping them.
Crews were able to pull each one from the rubble within an hour, but only McMaster survived. It was the first time since 2014, that the Baltimore City Fire Department lost a member in the line of duty.
That same vacant home also caught fire in 2015 and this incident injured three firefighters, who luckily survived.
