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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch
November 29, 2013
Reverend Dies In Church Fire
The fire is pictured before first responders arrived. Photo by Michael Lawson
By STEVE GREEN
EDITOR
OCEAN CITY – While area residents mourn the loss of a pillar in the religious community, an ongoing investigation has confirmed a man entered an Ocean City church rectory on fire Tuesday morning. The three-alarm fire at the rectory of the St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church occurred Tuesday around 9:25 a.m. when Ocean City Communications was alerted to a fire at St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, specifically its rectory located along Baltimore Avenue near 3rd Street. Flames were found emanating from the rectory building when crews arrived. Although authorities continue to probe the blaze and its cause, early indications are foul play was involved on some level and that one of the individuals who died is responsible for the blaze. That much was confirmed by the Ocean City Fire Department investigation on Wednesday in a statement. “The initial investigation determined that the fire originated in the area of the ground floor pantry and porch space of the Shepherd’s Crook facility, which is located in the rectory building. The exact cause of the fire is still actively under investigation, however; preliminary findings by investigators indicate that John Raymond Sterner, 56, of Ocean City, entered the structure with a significant amount of fire on and about his person, quickly spreading the fire to the structure. Investigators suspect an accelerant was involved in the quick spread of the fire, which claimed the life of Sterner.” The fire was quickly brought under control, but Sterner was immediately confirmed to be dead. His body was left inside the structure until the fire was extinguished, and paramedics tended to the two victims treated on the scene for lifethreatening injuries, one of whom was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where she remains as of this afternoon. Her identity has not been confirmed. SEE PAGE 6
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