Neighbor charged in fire that killed mother, five children

BALTIMORE -- The house fire that killed an anti-drug crusading mother and her five children was set by a man with a "drug history" who kicked in her door, poured gasoline on the floor and sparked the blaze, according to court documents released Friday.

Darrell Brooks, 21, simply shook his head as 29 charges against him were read a hearing where bail was denied Friday. He faces arson charges and six counts of first-degree murder.

It wasn't clear if he had an attorney.

One witness saw Brooks set the fire, another said he admitted to setting the fire and a search of Brooks' bedroom found a pickle jar containing a liquid that appeared to be gasoline, the court documents said. Tests found the fire was started by gasoline.

Killed in the fire was Angela Dawson, who neighbors say had fought to clear drug dealers from her block, and her five children.

The only survivor of Wednesday's blaze was Dawson's husband, Carnell Dawson, 59, who was severely burned and fractured his pelvis jumping from an upper floor window to escape.

Police Col. Robert Stanton said other arrests were possible.

"We believe some individuals in the area were tired of the amount of times Mr. and Mrs. Dawson called police for a variety of reasons, including drug activity," Stanton said.

It took firefighters an hour to control the fire that engulfed the Dawsons' three-story row house in one of Baltimore's toughest neighborhoods.

The house had been firebombed two weeks earlier, again in the middle of the night, but the family had escaped injury then. Police offered to move the Dawsons afterward, but they wanted to stay, police commissioner Edward Norris said.

Police said investigators questioned Brooks about the first fire, but he wasn't charged. Stanton said Thursday that investigators were taking another look.