The families of three Baltimore firefighters who died three years ago battling blazes in vacant rowhomes on Stricker Street said city officials have failed to act and largely pushed them aside, days after prosecutors charged a man in connection with the deaths.

The families said in a statement over the weekend that the city has done little to ensure “this devastating and preventable tragedy never happens again,” claiming Mayor Brandon Scott and City Council members have ignored their calls for meetings and dismissed their legal claims.

“This is about demands we have that will make firefighting in Baltimore City safer and bring closure to our families and loved ones,” the statement reads. “Yet, here we are three years later with little to no resolution, being pushed aside by the same city officials who refuse to listen to our pleas yet wish to take credit for bringing a false sense of closure to us.”

The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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James Barnett, a 57-year-old from Carrollton Ridge, faces one count of second-degree arson along with three counts of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter for the deaths of Lt. Kelsey Sadler, Lt. Paul Butrim and EMT/firefighter Kenneth Lacayo.

Barnett is also charged with creating a danger to others battling the blaze, including firefighter John McMaster, who was permanently injured.

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Man charged in 2022 Stricker Street blaze that killed 3 Baltimore firefighters

Barnett was denied bond during a Monday hearing. He does not yet have an attorney listed in online court records.

The families of the deceased firefighters refiled a lawsuit against city officials in January, alleging the city ended a program that flagged unsafe buildings, called Code X-Ray, and withheld that information from the rank and file. A judge in U.S. District Court in Baltimore threw out their earlier case in late 2024, ruling he was constrained to do so under the law.

The lawsuit also claims the city did not include in the computer dispatch system that there had been at least two prior issues at the house. Moments after firefighters entered the home, it partially collapsed.

Banner reporters Justin Fenton and Dylan Segelbaum contributed to this story.