An 11-year-old boy died in Parsonsburg on Maryland’s Eastern Shore Friday in a house fire. Three adults also in the home were able to escape.
The fire broke out at around 4:20 a.m., the Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal said in a release. While the three adults got out of the burning house, the victim did not. Firefighters responded and put out the blaze, and other rescuers pronounced the boy dead at the scene.
“The loss of a child in such a tragic manner is devastating beyond words. Our investigators are working diligently to determine what happened, and our focus is on supporting this family and the Parsonsburg community as they grieve,” Acting Maryland State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the fire marshal’s office said that investigators think it started in the back of the home and that the smoke alarms in the home were functional when the fire started.
Fire officials did not say whether any of the three surviving adults suffered any injuries as a result of the fire. Authorities did not name the survivors or the victim.
The material damages from the fire are estimated at $200,000 for the house itself and $100,000 for the stuff inside, the fire marshal’s office said.
