Charles County community continues to mourn 4 children, 2 adults killed in house fire
6 people killed in Charles County house fire
A community continues to grieve after four children and two adults were killed in a massive house fire in Charles County. There?s still no answers on what caused Maryland's deadliest fire in a decade. FOX 5?s Homa Bash is live in Waldorf with what she's learned.
CHARLES CO., Md. - A community continues to grieve after four children and two adults were killed in a massive house fire in Charles County.
There’s still no answer on what caused Maryland's deadliest fire in a decade. Family members and neighbors were out all day on Monday were too distraught to speak.
What we know:
Three of the children killed in this home went to a nearby elementary school. It’s believed that they were all under the age of ten.
The home was burned beyond repair and now, there’s a growing memorial at the steps.
One witness spoke with FOX 5.
"I called 911 and I beat myself up all day because I’m thinking I should have done more," Rodney Walker said.
Walker is a pastor who was on his way to church Sunday morning when he saw the smoke pouring out of this home on declaration court north in Waldorf, Maryland just before 9 a.m.
"When I banged on the door, the mother and father rushed to the door in panic and they both went back in the house but the father ran back out, the mother went back in to get the kids," Walker said.
Six people died when the flames took over—two women, four children.
READ MORE: 6 likely dead in Charles County house fire
Dig deeper:
In a letter from Charles County Public Schools to families, the principal says three of the children went to Jenifer Elementary right down the street and they have trained counselors ready to help.
A GoFundMe page says the family lost four grandkids, a daughter and a daughter-in-law.
"Shortly after they opened the door, I heard the explosion on the right side of the house and that was the last time I saw the mother," Walker said. "It was horrible, it was horrible and before you knew it the whole house was up in flames."
"With the loss of life. This is pretty devastating. It's devastating," Charles County Volunteer Firefighter and EMS Bill Smith said.
SkyFox drone shows the devastation from above. Nine people lived in the house. Two weren't home at the time, one escaped and six others trapped inside.
"This is an unimaginable loss for the community," said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray. "Our hearts go out to the families impacted by this heartbreaking event. In times like this, we must come together to support one another and remember the importance of fire safety in our homes."
Investigation continues:
It appears the fire may have started within the home's enclosed porch. The State Fire Marshal's Office says the home did have smoke alarms but are still investigating if they actually sounded.
The family, understandably, has asked for privacy and at this point, the State Fire Marshals Office is still working to figure out a cause.
A joint investigation is a standard operating procedure between the Office of the State Fire and the local authority having jurisdiction whenever a fatal fire occurs. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is our federal partner in fire and explosive investigations, and a joint investigation is routine in multi-fatal and high-dollar loss investigations.