2 adults, 4 children killed in Waldorf house fire

WALDORF, Md. - A devastating house fire in Charles County has claimed the lives of six people, including four children, marking Maryland’s deadliest residential fire in more than a decade.

Family trapped

FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh said the fire was reported on North Declaration Court in Waldorf, where neighbors watched in horror as flames engulfed the home early Sunday morning. 

Nine people lived in the house. Two were away at the time, and one person managed to escape. The remaining six - two adults and four children - did not survive.

Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control. One firefighter was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Investigators with the State Fire Marshal’s Office say the fire may have started on the front porch, but the exact cause remains under investigation. So far, there’s no evidence the fire was intentionally set.

Fire under investigation

"This is earth-shattering for all of us. It doesn’t matter if you have one year on the job or thirty years on the job any time you see this it’s such a tragedy of incredible proportions and we just don’t routinely see, it’s tough on the firefighters, it’s tough on the community it’s tough on our investigators any time we come across this," said Master Deputy State Fire Marshall Oliver Alkire with the Office of the State Fire Marshall. "It’s one we really want to provide answers for not only for the family but also the community."

Officials have not released the names or ages of the victims. They also say it’s unclear whether the home had working smoke alarms.

The investigation into the cause of the fire is continuing.