UPDATE: Bowie Man Dies From Burns in House Fire

An 83-year-old Bowie man removed by Prince George’s County firefighters from a burning Bowie home has died, according to fire officials.

The man was trapped in his home in the 5700 block of Park Drive, officials said.

Firefighters arrived about 8:30 a.m. to find a heavy fire in one of the front windows of the single-story house. While one team of firefighters began to tackle the fire, another team began to search for the trapped man, Chief Spokesperson for the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Mark Brody said in a sound bite.

A woman in her 60s, the homeowner, escaped from the burning home without serious injuries and told responders where the man was located. She was checked at a local hospital.

Before firefighters arrived, neighbors saw heavy smoke coming from the house and called 911. They saw the woman struggling to climb out of a bedroom window on the side of the house and helped her out.

One team of firefighters advanced a hose line into the home while another team rescued the trapped man thanks to the neighbor’s description given to dispatchers. The elderly man was found unconscious and without a pulse with burns to his upper body.

Paramedics performed resuscitation measures and took the victim to a nearby hospital where, he died from his injuries, authorities said. The identity of the deceased is being withheld pending a medical examiner’s report.

It appears one of the two home occupants awoke to smoke. A fire department spokesman says the house did not have any working smoke alarms, so there was no early warning of the fire. The two occupants went to investigate the source of the smoke that filled the hallways. At some point the male victim was burned and retreated into the bedroom, where he was found by firefighters.

Personnel from the County Office of the Fire Marshal are investigating the fire’s cause, but it appears the blaze began in an area including the kitchen and a breezeway between the kitchen and garage. Fire loss is estimated at $100,000.

Firefighters to check detectors in neighborhood on Dec. 26

Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said at the scene, “Smoke alarms save lives, there is no question. Fire departments cannot check every smoke alarm in every house, we simply cannot do this on our own. We need neighbors to help neighbors and remind each other to test alarms and to test alarms in homes where occupants just cannot physically do so. Check a smoke alarm today and save a life tomorrow.”

County residents who cannot afford to purchase a smoke alarm may simply call 311. A firefighter will visit your home at a pre-arranged time and install a new 10-year smoke alarm in your house, free of charge.

Chief Bashoor said department personnel will be back out in this community at 11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 26. Firefighters will go door-to-door checking smoke alarms to ensure they are present and working. If a home is found without working smoke alarms, the Fire/EMS Department will install one at no charge.

Photo Credit: @PGFDPIO Twitter

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