LEONARDTOWN, MD – At 5:30 a.m., Tuesday, June 27, 2023, St. Mary’s County Department of Emergency Services announced a partial activation of the Emergency Operation Center in response to the report of a serious house fire in the 20000 block of Deer Wood Park Drive in Leonardtown, MD. During the response, a firefighter from Naval District Washington Fire Department (NDWFD), based at NAS Patuxent River, was injured and transported to the hospital where he was later pronounced deceased. A volunteer firefighter from Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department Company 1 was also transported and is being treated at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the fire.
During their regularly scheduled business meeting, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County immediately expressed their condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the fallen NDWFD firefighter. Following the meeting, Commissioner President James Randy Guy said, “This is a dark day in St. Mary’s County, and we are mourning. It has been said that in an emergency, firefighters rush in when all others rush out. We are deeply grateful for the bravery and selfless service of this firefighter and in this time of need, we ask for God’s mercy. We also want to extend thanks to the numerous fire companies from in and around the county for their response to the call for aid.”
As a sign of respect for the firefighter who lost his life, the Commissioners ordered St. Mary’s County flags to be lowered to half-staff.
