An off-duty Ocean City firefighter/Parsonsburg volunteer forced entry and located a victim but was overcome by heavy smoke; he was flown to a Baltimore-area hospital in stable condition

By Kendyl Kearly
Baltimore Sun

PARSONSBURG, Md. — Two people were found dead early Sunday in a Wicomico County fire, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Just before 2:40 a.m., a passerby saw smoke and flames at 32904 Old Ocean City Road in Parsonsburg and called 911, a news release says. He knocked on the door and windows to try to wake the owners.

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Around the same time, an off-duty Ocean City Fire Department firefighter, who is also a volunteer with the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company, arrived and kicked in the back door, authorities said. He found a victim and attempted to remove them but was overcome by heavy smoke and had to leave.

He was later flown to a Baltimore -area hospital by Maryland State Police’s Aviation Command and is in stable condition.

More firefighters arrived to the scene and upgraded the fire to two alarms, which draws additional resources.

“The fire quickly spread throughout the two-story home, where sections of the home collapsed,” the release reads.

Around 100 firefighters controlled it after about two hours.

They found two people dead inside. They were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine their identifies and causes of death.

The origin and cause are under investigation, the fire marshal’s office said. Deputies are unsure if there were smoke detectors.

“This is a heartbreaking incident for the Parsonburg community and for the fire service,” said acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray in a statement. “An off-duty firefighter did what firefighters do — he acted without hesitation to try to save lives.”

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