A woman who reentered a burning home to save her teenage son is one of three people who died in Brooklyn Park, Maryland, Tuesday morning, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
The fire appears to have started in the bedroom of a 20-year-old man who lives in the home in the 100 block of Hilltop Road West, according to the fire department. He tried to put the fire out himself before calling 911.
He and his parents got out, but a second son, 17-year-old Sundima Sinnah, remained inside, and his mother, 39-year-old Lettitia Smith reentered to try to rescue him. A neighbor, 45-year-old Christopher Rickman, also entered to attempt a rescue. Both adults were overcome by smoke and heat, the fire department said.
Firefighters arriving about 2:40 a.m. removed the unconscious victims from the home and took them to local hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
Authorities believe a newer part of the house had working smoke alarms but the older part of the house did not.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire caused an estimated $125,000 in damage.
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Anne Arundel County Fire initially reported a woman and two teenagers were removed from the home.
Thirteen fire deaths have been recorded in Maryland during the first 41 days of 2015, up from nine over the same period in 2014, according to the state fire marshal.
