A Maryland house fire claimed the lives of four children and two adults as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances of the sudden blaze.
Officials said that nine people were linked to the house that burned down, and among the survivors, two were able to get out of the house while two others were away. Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said that while the cause of the incident is still under investigation, they determined the fire originated on the right side of the house within an enclosed porch.
Maryland House Fire
On Sunday afternoon, authorities brought heavy machinery to the area to help remove debris. Reports noted that it took fire officials more than an hour to get the home fire under control. The Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and other nearby departments initially responded to reports of a dwelling fire with a reported entrapment.
Crews with the Charles County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Medical Services and officials from the Deputy State Fire Marshals and Charles County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene of the fire and are still looking for other survivors, according to WTOP News.
There was also one firefighter who had to be sent to the hospital for an emergency, while another first responder was seen being treated at the scene. The fire marshal added that they were not yet able to confirm whether or not the home had smoke alarms.
They noted that the tragic incident serves as a reminder to ensure locals have working alarms inside their homes so they can be alerted in advance. The marshal underscored that the public should conduct their own fire drills so that people know what to do in emergencies.
Investigating the Tragic Incident
Alkire added that this particular house fire marks the deadliest one in Maryland in the last decade. He said that the house was built in a year when the family that owns it should have had hard-wired smoke alarms, The Guardian reported.
There was a separate case where a 14-year-old boy died in a fire at a disused industrial unit. The victim was later identified as Layton Carr, whose body was found inside a building on Fairfield Industrial Park, in the Bill Quay area of Gateshead, on May 2.
In the weeks after that incident, authorities arrested 26 children aged between 11 and 14 on suspicion of manslaughter. Four of these individuals were told they would face no further action, while the remaining 22 remain on bail, as per BBC.
