Metro Briefs

MARYLAND

SALISBURY

Drowned fishermen were from District

Searchers yesterday found the bodies of two fishermen who fell into Johnson Pond. The have not been officially identified, but neighbors said they were from the District and were in the Salisbury area visiting relatives for the holiday weekend.

Four men were on the pond’s spillway when two slipped and fell into the water at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

One man tried to pull his friends to safety, but police say the current was too strong. Divers searched for the bodies until 9 p.m., then resumed their search at about 7 a.m. yesterday. The bodies were found two hours later.

CAMBRIDGE

Elderly man dies in house fire

State fire investigators said yesterday that an electrical failure started a house fire that killed a Dorchester County man.

The fire started at about 7 p.m. Saturday in a one-story home on Linthicum Drive, according to the State Fire Marshal's office. Firefighters arrived to find James Leland Smith, 73, dead on the living room sofa. He was the only person home at the time.

Investigators say the fire started in the kitchen and was caused by an electrical failure in a wall receptacle that provided power to the home’s refrigerator. Firefighters needed about 20 minutes to extinguish the flames. The damage is estimated at about $100,000. A smoke alarm was found, but there was no battery inside, officials said.

BALTIMORE

O'Malley set to visit Israel

Gov. Martin O'Malley will travel to Israel this week on a trade mission.

Mr. O'Malley, a Democrat, was scheduled to leave last night and plans to highlight emerging business opportunities in biotechnology research in Maryland.

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