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Couple found dead in Harford County house fire, son jumped from second-floor window

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Stephanie Douglas
Stephanie Douglas
Stephanie Douglas joined the WJZ family in August 2025 as a morning reporter. Stephanie is no stranger to Baltimore. She is a Maryland native who's deeply passionate about journalism and knows how to skillfully execute her stories with urgency, empathy and most importantly, depth.
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Stephanie Douglas,
Ashley Paul
Ashley Paul
Ashley Paul joined the WJZ team in December 2024 as a reporter, and could not be happier to call Charm City home! Ashley has told stories all across the country, including in Maine, Central Pennsylvania and Tampa, where she won a Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists award in the "Multi-Media Journalist In a Large Market" category.
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Ashley Paul

/ CBS Boston

A couple and a dog were killed in a house fire early Wednesday morning in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

Three people were in the two-story home on Erie Street when the fire started just after 1 a.m., according to Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.

"The fire raced from the first floor up to the second floor, rapidly spread throughout the attic and throughout the home," he told WJZ.

Alkire said smoke alarms woke up James Clark on the second floor, who ran downstairs to find heavy fire in the living room.  

"He then raced back up the stairs, kicked out the window, and jumped out that second-story window," Alkire said.

Clark told WJZ that he owns the house. He said he jumped out of the second-floor window to escape the fire, but he wasn't able to save his parents or his puppy.

"Actually too late to do anything. I tried to get me and my dog out. I made it. The dog didn't want to come out. I guess he was scared of the height. Tried to get my parents out. One of them is in a wheelchair and one of them is on crutches and they didn't make it," Clark said.

baltimore.jpg
Three people were in the home on Erie Street in Havre de Grace, Maryland when the fire started on March 11, 2026. CBS Baltimore

The medical examiner's office confirmed that Clark's 85-year-old mother and 73-year-old father were found dead in a second-floor bedroom. 

Clark said his parents -- Camellia and Howard Hicks, lived in the house for 55 years and they were known throughout the Havre de Grace community.

"I just remember hitting the ground and all dazed and getting up and screaming, 'Somebody help! Help! Help!'" Clark said. "And somebody heard me and said, 'We're going to call 911.' By then you could see the flames starting to go through the house."    

A firefighter with the Susquehanna Hose Company was hurt by an electric shock during the fire. He was rushed to Bayview Medical Center, but Alkire said the injury was "minor."

There's no word yet on how the fire started, but Alkire said investigators are focusing on the first floor living room. The fire marshal's office said there is no evidence of criminal activity and they are examining "all accidental causes."  

"This is tragically the first fatality in Harford County, and it's sadly the first double fatal that we've had so far this year," he said.

"Our hearts break for the victims and their loved ones," said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray.  

Havre de Grace, Maryland, is about 40 miles northeast of Baltimore.

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