Maryland community provides hope after woman loses her father in Christmas house fire
JOPPA -- Courtney Butash said the smoke alarm in her Harford County home woke her up early on Christmas morning.
"My room was filled with smoke," she said. "My first instinct was jumping up and saving my son."
Courtney said it's hard to forget her father's plea for help as she rescued her 12-year-old son from the flames.
"I never would have expected this is what Christmas is going to be like," Courtney told WJZ.
Her father, 68-year-old Roger Butash, was found dead in the basement of their home in Joppa early Christmas morning, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal (MSFM).
Courtney said her father was downstairs where the fire was coming from.
"I hear my dad yelling, 'Courtney, help. Call 911,'" she said. "I can still hear, in my head, my dad screaming."
Courtney said her father, son and several pets lived in the home on Doncaster Road.
"I was preparing to wake up at 7 a.m. to start a roast for Christmas. It was supposed to be a really lowkey Christmas," Courtney said
Courtney said she, her only son and her turtle made it out of the home alive. She said they had a couple of space heaters in the house.
According to Courtney, the fire could be connected to a surge protector.
"My dad was really all that I had left, and my son"
Courtney said her father, Roger lived in the lower level of the home.
"He was in a wheelchair," she said. "Our downstairs was fully handicapped."
Courtney said her father experienced a stroke in 2006 that caused the left side of his body to be paralyzed.
"In 2020, he had his leg amputated," she added. "If he hadn't gotten his leg amputated, whatever was going on medically would have killed him."
Courtney said her father would have turned 69 years old in January.
Community support
The community is providing Courtney with hope. In just one day, an online fundraiser surpassed $13,000.
Daniel McGhee, an area realtor and friend of Courtney, is one of many who donated and now is spreading the word in order to uplift Courtney during this difficult time.
"I can't even imagine the feelings of losing everything I own and then losing a parent," he said. "But a community showing up and supporting, that's what we do."
Courtney said she's a person in long-time recovery and she's a substance abuse counselor. She said her recovery community quickly jumped in to help.
"Strangers in different places just trying to come together and be here for me," Courtney said. "It's really overwhelming."
Roger's cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, but investigators said they did not find any signs of foul play.