An elderly man lost his life in a house fire early Sunday morning in Brentwood, Maryland, as confirmed by the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department.
Firefighters arrived at the 3400 block of Webster Street at 12:39 a.m. to find the first floor of a brick duplex engulfed in flames.
“It was definitely scary,” a neighbor shared. “We heard the banging. My daughters were upstairs, and they came down thinking it was our house.”
Fire crews from Prince George’s County and Montgomery County worked to contain the blaze, which was confined to the first floor of the duplex. The man’s body was discovered inside.
Later that day, firefighters returned to the neighborhood for a routine debriefing and conducted smoke detector checks in nearby homes, installing devices for free when needed.
The fire was complicated by “extreme hoarding conditions,” Acting Assistant Chief Donald Fletcher of Prince George’s County Fire explained, which posed significant challenges during the response.
“We can only work within a one- to two-foot space while worrying about things falling on us and blocking our exits,” Fletcher said. “As you can see, the windows here are blocked, and we rely on them for entry and exit points.”
The city had previously addressed the property’s condition, clearing the yard of debris. However, the clutter inside the house provided additional fuel for the fire.
A neighbor described the difficulty firefighters faced gaining access to the home: “We ran outside and saw the fire trucks trying to break the door. It took them a couple of minutes because it was so difficult.”
Fire officials also highlighted the dangers of double-key deadbolts, which require a key to lock and unlock from both sides.
“In a fire, you’re already disoriented and unable to see clearly,” Fletcher said. “The extra step of finding a key to unlock your only exit adds a dangerous complication.”
An ongoing investigation will determine how these factors, along with the fire’s cause, contributed to the tragedy.
