On Friday at 2238 hours, Tower 807 was dispatched as the second due special service on Box 9-11 at 5439 Annapolis Road for a reported building fire.  First arriving units reported heavy smoke conditions and a working fire.  Crews from engine companies 809 and 830 and truck company 828 began level one operations.  Upon arrival, the driver (Assistant Chief James 'Jay' Johns) and outside ventman (F/F Roberto 'Berto' Ramiirez) laddered sides Charlie and Delta and started ventilating the building.  A search of the building by first in units was reported as negative for any occupants, however, as the remaining crew entered the building it was reported over the radio of a possible trappped occupant. The tower crew conducted a secondary search of the store and while searching quadrant Bravo found an unconsous victim in a storage room buried under some debris.  F/F Michael Eppard, F/F Michael McClary and F/F Sean Young worked together to remove the victim and once outside began CPR.  The vicitim's care was transferred to awaiting EMS crews for further treatment and transport.  Crews later learned that the victim succumbed to his injuries.

It is alleged that foul play took place before the fire started.  To further complicate matters, while units were still working on the scene, the water main supplying the area suffered a rupture causing a large sinkhole in the roadway nearby.