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Four dead after large fire and police shooting in Maryland

One other person suffered injuries that weren't life-threatening, Baltimore County Police said.

Four people were killed and one person was injured Saturday morning after a large fire and a police shooting in Baltimore County, Maryland, authorities said.

Residents called 911 about 6:40 a.m. ET to report the blaze and the presence of an armed man in a townhome community in the Woodlawn neighborhood, according to the Baltimore County Police Department. Officers and firefighters arrived and found a man armed with a handgun outside the burning homes.

Police fatally shot him, police spokesperson Joy Stewart said during a press conference at the scene. The man's name was not released.

It was not clear how many officers opened fire on the armed man or how the others died. The officers involved in the shooting and the three other victims were not immediately identified.

Police and fire crews at the scene of a shooting and residential fire in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Baltimore, which left several dead on May 8, 2021.
Police and fire crews at the scene of a shooting and residential fire in the Woodlawn neighborhood of Baltimore, which left several dead on May 8, 2021.Amy Lu / via WBAL TV

Two of them were men. The third was a woman who was critically injured during the incidents and died hours later, police spokesperson Danielle J. Moore told NBC News in an email Saturday afternoon.

Another person, a male victim, is being treated for injuries that aren't life-threatening.

No officers were injured during the incidents.

At one point, two other people were unaccounted for after the fire and shooting. Police said they have been located.

The two-alarm fire caused the collapse of two homes and heavily damaged a third house, county fire department spokesman Tim Rostkowski said. The blaze was fed by natural gas from the house where the fire initiated. Local gas and electric crews were unable to immediately shut off the gas due to equipment damage.

Crews are working on digging a hole to fully shut off the gas line. Residents can expect to temporarily lose gas service, but authorities said there is “no current threat to the community.”

Firefighters and police are still searching the scene for possible additional victims, authorities said. Local, state and federal agencies are involved in the ongoing investigation.