Father And 2 Young Children Killed In Curtis Bay House Fire
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A devastating fire in Curtis Bay kills two young children and their father. Neighbors tell WJZ how the mother narrowly escaped with her life.
Monique Griego explains why they are also calling the father a hero.
The mother jumped out of a second story window. She remains in the hospital in critical condition.
A rowhome in Curtis Bay is completely gutted by a horrific and deadly fire. The flames were so intense and fast moving, three people--a father and two young children--didn't make it out alive.
Neighbors heard the commotion start just after 4 a.m. Saturday in the 4100-block of Grace Court.
"It was one of the relatives shouting. I thought it was a fight at first, then I heard broken glass and then I heard them yelling, 'Get out! Get out!'" said neighbor John Donnelly.
Nathaniel Faison ran to help and found the children's mother already outside. She jumped from a second story window. The father was still inside the house trying to save his children.
"When I got out there, she was already on the ground out. He went back to get his kids," said Faison.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, the home was engulfed in flames.
"Units on the scene found heavy smoke and fire conditions on the first and second floors," said Ian Brennan, Baltimore City Fire Department.
Neighbors could only watch in horror, knowing a man they called "Chopper" and his two small children were still trapped inside. The community is now calling him a hero.
"I mean, little kids, man. He went back for his babies," Faison said.
It took crews more than an hour to get the fire under control, but not before flames damaged two more homes. The Red Cross is helping those families as well.
Neighbors are now left trying to understand how something like this could happen.
"I just pray to the Lord that he helps the family out right now," Donnelly said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Neighbors tell WJZ the couple that lived in the home was very young--in their early 20s--and the children were just one and four years old. That has not been confirmed by investigators.
A total of 15 people were displaced by the fire. Both Anne Arundel and Baltimore City fire departments responded.
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