Maryland Dad Dies Searching for 10-Year-Old Son in Fire, Unaware Boy Had Already Escaped

A Maryland father died after rushing back into his burning home to save his 10-year-old son — not realizing the boy had already made it out safely.

The fire broke out around 9:40 p.m. on Sunday, July 5 at a home in St. Mary’s County, according to a News 4 report, published on Monday, July 6. Firefighters were dispatched after reports of a house fire with a child believed to be trapped inside.

Per the report, the father was on the phone with 911 dispatchers while searching for his son inside the burning home. At a certain point during the call, he stopped responding. The dispatcher said he was “no longer responding” and there was “just an open line with a lot of noise,” per the outlet.

The family had evacuated the home, but once outside, the father couldn’t locate his son and ran back inside to find him, according to the report. Firefighters arrived to find heavy flames engulfing the two-story home.

“When we came out, you could just see the flames through the trees,” neighbor Jacqui Grantland said, according to News 4. “We were worried because there’s so much forest out here that the forest would engulf. It was just like nothing you’d had seen before.”

The child had actually escaped the home safely before his father went back in, the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal said in a statement, per the report.

Grantland praised the father’s selflessness. “That just says something about the character of the father,” she said, per the outlet.

When crews extinguished the blaze, they discovered the father dead on the home’s second floor, according to the report.

“Our hearts are with this family as they face an unimaginable loss,” Acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray said, per News 4.

Investigators believe the fire may have been sparked by ground-based sparklers the family used earlier that evening, which were discarded in a trash can on a screened-in rear deck, the outlet reported. Officials are working to confirm whether the discarded fireworks retained enough heat to ignite other materials in the bin.

“As we continue our investigation, we want everyone to remember that fireworks don’t stop posing a risk when the show is over,” Mowbray said, according to the article. “Taking a few extra minutes to soak and properly dispose of used fireworks and sparklers can help prevent a tragedy like this.”