Firefighter laid to rest at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens

BALTIMORE - Friends and family gathered in North Baltimore this morning for the funeral of Firefighter Mark Falkenhan.

A line formed outside of the Armory in Towson this weekend.

Flags were held by the Patriot Guard in bitter cold temperatures.

"Mark was truly doing his noble calling,” said Stephen Hardesty, a family friend and spokesman.

FUNERAL IMAGES

Firefighters, both volunteer and career, from departments all across the country paid tribute to Mark Falkenhan, a man who spent his entire adult life in public service.

"Mark was just a great guy and it's just a true loss for the fire service, both the volunteers and the career service here in Baltimore County. The guy always had a smile on his face, would do anything for you,” said Kyrle Preis, EMS Director, Baltimore Co. Fire Dept.

A family friend and spokesman says Mark Falkenhan's calling turned from career to volunteer firefighter when he took a job with the U.S. Secret Service to teach agents medical and rescue training. ( Read More )

Friday the Baltimore County Fire Department posthumously awared Mark Falkenhan with the Medal of Honor. It's an honor that is rarely awarded according to a statement from the fire department .

Funeral arrangements have now been set for a firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty. Mark Falkenhan will be remembered as a hero who lost his life trying to help others.

Evangelyn Code came back to her Hillendale apartment building Thursday afternoon to see the entire scene.

Wednesday night on her third floor apartment she was too close to the flames; trapped as the building burned from the bottom floor up.

Funeral Arrangements set

"I was getting ready to jump and he asked me please don't jump, I'm coming to you with a ladder and he came over with a ladder," said Code.

She says the firefighter with the ladder, the man who saved her life was Mark Falkenhan, a career firefighter with Baltimore County, later a volunteer with Lutherville.

It was on the upper floors of Code's building where county fire says he died fighting the blaze.

"He was my hero but I feel bad about what happened, I really do. Knowing he was a volunteer firefighter and leaves his two children, his wife....I feel bad."

Falkenhan's life is the loss that will linger most in all of this but Thursday work continued on the burned out shell. ( Read More )

FROM THE SCENE

A Baltimore County firefighter has died after a four alarm fire tore through an apartment building in Hillendale Wednesday evening.

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The fire broke out around 6:30 in a garden style apartment building at 30 Dowling Circle off of Loch Raven Boulevard.

Fire officials say the fire started in a kitchen and spread to two floors of the building.

Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman identified the firefighter who died as 43 year old Mark Falkenhan.

Falkenhan was a volunteer stationed out of the Lutherville Volunteer Fire Company. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

MORE VIDEO | Wednesday news conference, witness interview

Falkenhan was on the third floor of one of the buildings searching for victims when he radioed "mayday" around 6:47 p.m. He was found a short time later on a balcony in the rear of the building.

Firefighters got him to the ground and he was rushed to St. Joseph's Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead.

Firefighters say Falkenhan's partner was able to jump through a window to escape the fire.

Two civilians were also hurt, one was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in critical condition with burns. The condition of the second victim is not known.

If you would like to leave a condolence message for the family click here.

UPDATE: Thursday morning the Baltimore County Police Department launched a full investigation into last night's fire. Investigators will review how fire crews responded to the fire.

Investigators are looking at "flashover" as a possible factor in the death of Falkenhan. Elise Armacost, spokeswoman for the Baltimore County Fire Department, says they have not confirmed that a flashover incident happened.