The firefighter who died in the line of duty in Leonardtown, Maryland, on Tuesday was a 25-year-old who began serving as a volunteer firefighter when he was just a teenager, authorities said.
Firefighter Brice C. Trossbach was the firefighter who was killed as he fought a house fire on Deer Wood Park Drive in St. Mary's County, Naval Air Station Patuxent River officials said Wednesday.
Trossbach became a Naval District firefighter in 2019 after serving as a volunteer firefighter with the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department and Bay District Volunteer Fire Department.
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“In the face of this tragic loss, we are reminded of the tremendous risks our firefighters face each shift to keep our installation and our community safe,” Naval Air Station Patuxent River commanding officer Capt. Derrick Kingsley said in a statement. “They put their lives on the line without hesitation, demonstrating remarkable bravery and commitment to the well-being of others. We are forever grateful for their service and sacrifice.”
The deputy director of emergency services for St. Mary’s County, Gerald Gardiner, said he had known Trossbach since the firefighter was a child.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Chief Chris Bell of the Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department said in a statement, “words cannot convey the loss we are feeling, nor can they convey the pain we feel for his family.”
He remembered Trossbach in diapers, crawling around the firehouse. He joined the department as a probationary member at 16 and became a full member at 18.
“Firefighting was in Brice’s blood,” and he served alongside his uncles and brother, Bell said.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff to honor Trossbach.
“Today and every day, we honor Firefighter Trossbach and his service to Maryland,” Moore said in a statement.
When a family’s home erupted in flames early Tuesday, Trossbach was one of the first firefighters to respond. He fell through the first floor and became trapped, officials said. He was found and pronounced dead.
The man, woman and their daughter who lived in the home were able to make it out alive but their two-story home was reduced to rubble and ash.
Homeowner Richard McNeil told News4 he suspects that lightning struck the house. His daughter awoke to a loud boom and the smell of smoke.
