Worcester County Fire Marshal

The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating a dwelling fire which occurred on October 10, 2011.  The fire was located at 7 Gatehouse Trail, Ocean Pines, Maryland in Worcester County.  The fire was reported at 6:43 pm by a neighbor.  The Ocean Pines, Showell, Berlin, Bishopville, and Ocean City Volunteer Fire Companies quickly responded and reported smoke and fire showing from the rear of a single family dwelling.  The fire was quickly extinguished but firefighters remained on the scene for over 3 hours conducting overhaul operations.  The occupant/owner of the dwelling, John A. Spalding, was transported to Peninsula Regional Medical  Center in Salisbury for respiratory problems by Ocean Pines EMS and was then flown by helicopter to Baltimore for further observation and treatment.  The fire originated in the rear of the dwelling, in a shop area attached to the rear of the dwelling.  The exact cause of the fire is listed as undetermined and the investigation remains open.  Anyone with additional information is asked to contact Matthew Owens at 410-632-5666 or by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .