A man died trying to save his child from a house fire in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, that may have been caused by fireworks, authorities say. The child had made it out safely.
The man’s home caught fire at about 9:40 p.m. Sunday. Firefighters arrived to the 22800 block of Thornbury Drive to a report of a house fire with a child believed to be trapped inside.
When firefighters arrived, there was a heavy fire that had spread throughout the family’s two-story home.
The family evacuated the home but once outside, the father couldn’t find his 10-year-old child. He rushed back into the house to try to rescue his child.
“The child was later confirmed to have safely escaped the home,” the Office of the Maryland State Fair Marshal said in a statement.
When firefighters put out the fire, they found the father dead on the home’s second floor.
“Our hearts are with this family as they face an unimaginable loss,” said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray.
Preliminary information from the fire marshal’s office revealed that the family had used ground-based sparklers earlier Sunday evening and they were thrown away in a trash can on screened-in rear deck. It’s possible that the fireworks ignited other materials in the trash can.
The fire marshal’s office is investigating to confirm if the discarded fireworks retained enough heat to cause the fire inside the trash can.
“As we continue our investigation, we want everyone to remember that fireworks don’t stop posing a risk when the show is over. Taking a few extra minutes to soak and properly dispose of used fireworks and sparklers can help prevent a tragedy like this,” Mowbray said.
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