Firefighter killed in Leonardtown fire identified
BALTIMORE -- Naval Air Station Patuxent River has identified the firefighter killed Tuesday in a Leonardtown house fire as 25-year-old Brice Trossbach.
Trossbach had been a Naval District Washington Fire Fighter at the station since August 2019. He was also a volunteer firefighter with the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department and the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department, which he served with since 2013, officials said.
Gerald Gardiner, Deputy Director of Emergency Services for St. Mary's County, said he knew Trossbach since he was small.
"I've known Brice since he was a little kid following his dad to the Leonardtown Fire Station when I was the Chief there, and he always wanted to be a firefighter," Gardiner said. "To see him come up from that kid, to the man and firefighter he'd become, makes this loss especially hard."
"His respect for those he helped, the mentorship he provided the younger guys coming up, and the service he gave to the nation and Southern Maryland community will leave a big hole in our hearts," Gardiner continued.
Trossbach's unit responded to provide mutual aid at the scene around 4 a.m. at the 20500 block of Deer Wood Park Drive in St. Mary's County.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The fire marshal's office said 15 investigators, which it said is a quarter of its personnel, are investigating the cause with other local agencies.
