A 5-year-old boy died Thursday morning in a fire at a home in Charles County, Md.
Just after 6 a.m. one of six children in the home in the 6800 block of Arbor Lane in Bryans Road yelled "fire," and the mother, 31-year-old Shevon Conely Hawkins ran outside with three children. Outside, she found landscapers, who called 911 and then found a ladder behind the house.
"They propped it up to the back and they were able to lean into the house and call for the child," said Duane Svites, regional commander of the state fire marshal's office.
They managed to rescue a 3-year-old.
Six minutes after the 911 call, Charles County volunteer firefighters arrived and rescued a 2-year-old girl suffering from smoke inhalation.
But rescuers couldn't reach the last child, and he died.
Family members said the family reported smelling smoke in the home May 16, but firefighters didn't find the cause.
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Svites said the two incidents don't appear to be linked.
"But again, we're starting at the ground level with this investigation, and nothing's been eliminated as to what the cause is," he said.
The rescued 2-year-old girl was taken to Children's National Medical Center in D.C.
