9-year-old boy dies in Suitland house fire; 2 firefighters injured

Child dies in early morning house fire in Suitland

A child died early Tuesday following a house fire in Prince George?s County, according to fire officials.

SUITLAND, Md. - A 9-year-old boy died early Tuesday morning following  a fire at a two-story home in Prince George’s County, officials said.

Fire crews responded around 1:43 a.m. to the 5800 block of Auth Road, where flames had engulfed a single-family residence. Assistant Fire Chief Caroll Spriggs told FOX 5’s Maureen Umeh that the boy was pulled from the home in critical condition but later died at the hospital.

Henry Scurry, a neighbor, saw flames in the window and rushed to the house, banging on doors to alert anyone inside. He found the mother at a back window and pulled her to safety. When she said her son was still inside, Scurry grabbed a ladder and tried to reach him through the upstairs window. "And when I put my hand up on the ledge to pull myself in, it was too hot. I couldn't get in there. It was…I just couldn't do it."

Investigators say they do not believe smoke detectors were in the home. The fire is believed to have started in the living room.

Two firefighters were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.