A federal judge has again tossed the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the families of three Baltimore firefighters killed battling a blaze in a vacant Stricker Street rowhouse in 2022. The move keeps their civil case on ice while criminal charges against an alleged arsonist move forward, even as relatives insist the ruling will not stop their push for stronger safeguards that would keep crews out of dangerously unstable vacants.
Judge Says Lawsuit Falls Short On Intent
U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox dismissed the complaint, finding that the allegations, while “tragic and alarming,” did not plausibly show that city officials intended to injure firefighters, according to The Baltimore Banner. As the Banner reported, Maddox leaned on precedent that requires a showing of deliberate intent to support a state-created-danger claim in an employment setting. Lawyers for the families say they are weighing possible amendments and alternative legal routes.
What Happened At 205 S. Stricker Street
The fire broke out in the predawn hours of Jan. 24, 2022, in a vacant rowhouse at 205 S. Stricker St. A partial collapse killed Lt. Kelsey Sadler, Lt. Paul Butrim, and EMT/firefighter Kenny Lacayo, and seriously injured Firefighter John McMaster, as reported by CBS Baltimore. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives later determined the blaze was incendiary, and the deaths were ruled homicides. Investigators spent years working on surveillance footage and forensic tests before prosecutors announced criminal charges in late 2025.
What The Lawsuit Argued
The families’ lawsuit claimed the city had eliminated or scaled back its Code X-Ray program, which previously tagged unsafe vacant buildings and fed that information into dispatch systems, according to WBAL. Without those flags in place, firefighters allegedly went into the Stricker Street property unaware of known collapse hazards. The complaint also asserted that prior incidents at the address were never entered into the city’s computer dispatch database, and that these recordkeeping failures helped set the stage for the deadly interior operation. City attorneys countered that the suit did not show the kind of deliberate indifference that federal law requires for the due-process theories the families advanced.
Criminal Charges Move Forward
In November, prosecutors charged James Barnett in connection with the Stricker Street fire, including counts of second-degree depraved-heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, and second-degree arson, according to a press release from the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. Barnett has been ordered held without bail and remains in custody. The Baltimore Banner reports that he is scheduled to return to court on April 3.
A Steep Legal Hurdle For The Families
Maddox’s opinion highlights just how high the bar is for the families. Under the court’s reading, they must show conduct tantamount to an intent to harm to proceed with a due-process claim based on a state-created danger, a standard that legal observers say is notoriously tough to meet, according to reporting in FireRescue1. Attorneys for the families have told local outlets they are considering revised complaints or alternative cases in state court as the criminal case unfolds. For now, their bid for civil damages is effectively paused unless they can refile successfully or win on appeal.
Policy Fights Still Smolder
Independent reviews and a more-than-300-page after-action report triggered leadership changes and called for bringing back physical placards and improving data feeds to warn crews about dangerous vacant properties. But plaintiffs say those fixes have been unevenly rolled out, according to WBAL. Firefighters’ unions and community advocates argue that the latest ruling settles none of the bigger questions about how Baltimore handles its vacant stock and protects first responders. With the criminal case still pending, families and union leaders say they intend to keep pressing for both accountability and long-promised policy changes.
