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Twin toddlers, two adults dead after Prince George’s County house fire Twin toddlers, grandparents killed in Prince George’s County house fire
(about 11 hours later)
Four people — two grandparents and their twin 2-year-old grandchildren — are dead after a fire early Tuesday at a home in Prince George’s County, authorities said. By the time the woman ran into the freezing morning in nothing but a nightgown, the two-story brick house was already engulfed in flames.
The children’s mother, meanwhile, had jumped from a second-floor window, authorities said. “Call 911!” she screamed, barefoot in the yard. “Please help!”
Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said the family was renting the home. An initial investigation found no working smoke detectors in the home. The fire began at 2:03 a.m. in the 6700 block of Knollbrook Drive in Chillum, Md. One of the woman’s sisters sprinted from the house. Another sister jumped from a second-floor window to escape.
The tragedy comes on the anniversary of a deadly house fire in Annapolis that left a set of grandparents and their four grandchildren dead, Bashoor noted in a news conference. But others were trapped.
“It’s going to be a rough day for firefighters,” he said. Four people — a couple and their twin 2-year-old grandchildren — would not survive.
[ Electrical failure and dry Christmas tree caused deadly Annapolis mansion fire ] By Tuesday morning, the family’s melted and charred possessions were piled in the yard as investigators worked to determine what caused the fire that gutted the home and devastated three generations of a Ni­ger­ian immigrant family who had proudly moved in last year.
The twins — Anna and Israel Omijie — were rescued from the house and taken to Children’s National Medical Center where they were pronounced dead. Firefighters said Anna was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m., Israel at 3:07 a.m. “It’s a terrible way to begin the year,” said Festus Sowho, a family friend who visited the blackened house in Chillum, Md., on Tuesday. “The worst thing that can happen to anybody is to lose children.”
Their grandmother was identified as Caroline Omogbo, 55, and their grandfather as Samson Omogbo, 63. Caroline Omogbo was brought out of the house by firefighters, and Samson Omogbo was found dead inside the home. Firefighters said all of the victims were found on the second floor in bedrooms. The twins — Anna and Israel Omijie — were pulled from the house by firefighters and taken to Children’s National Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead. Their grandmother, Caroline Omogbo, 55, and grandfather, Samson Omogbo, 63, died at the scene.
In a tweet, Bashoor said, “4 fatalities are heartbreaking.” The twins’ mother, who jumped from the window, remained in the hospital as of Tuesday afternoon with head injuries, friends said.
He also said, “Now we have found NO evidence of a smoke alarm in the home. Difference? We’ll never know.” Tuesday’s tragedy came on the one-year anniversary of a deadly house fire in Annapolis sparked by a dry Christmas tree that killed a couple and their four grandchildren.
Fire officials said “the cause and origin” of the fire are still under investigation. They said that for now they are calling the cause undetermined. [Electrical failure and dry Christmas tree caused deadly Annapolis mansion fire]
“Nothing suspicious was found during the course of the investigation,” fire officials said in a news release. Investigators said they believe the cause of the fire was accidental. The Chillum fire does not appear suspicious, investigators said.
On Tuesday morning, friends of the grandparents went to the neighborhood as soon as they learned of the tragedy. Many of them are immigrants from Africa like Samson Omogbo, and they’d bonded with him through their shared culture as members of the Urhobo ethnic group. Investigators did not find smoke detectors in the home, which the family was renting in the 6700 block of Knollbrook Drive, Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said. “The smoke alarm gives you that early alert so you can get out,” he said. “It was a chance they didn’t have.”
Tears slowly rolled down their cheeks as Festus Sowho, Lucky Ajueyitsi and Michael Efemini shared memories of their friend. Firefighters continued to work nearby, hoses stretched along the street as they cleaned up debris. Samson Omogbo came to the United States at least 15 years ago from Nigeria after winning a green-card lottery, according to friends and his church pastor. He started a furniture-restoration business and was able to bring his wife and seven children — three sons and four daughters — to the United States shortly after his arrival.
Samson Omogbo came to the United States from Nigeria to study, his friend said. He started his own furniture and contracting business. The business was doing so well that the family moved into a bigger home, the one that burned down Tuesday morning. They were a close family and embraced a cultural tradition of several generations living under one roof. They all went to church together, sang together and danced together.
“It’s been so frightening to me,” said Sowho. “It’s a terrible way to begin the year. The worst thing that can happen to anybody is to lose children.” “They’re a very close family,” said Stephen Akinnola, a church member and family friend. “If you see one, you can guarantee to see the others.”
Bashoor said the children’s mother was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Prince George’s Hospital center. Two other female family members in the home escaped unharmed. They told investigators they were awakened by the smell of smoke. It was unclear how they were related to the family. The furniture business was doing so well, friends said, that Samson and Caroline Omogbo moved with at least three of their children into a bigger home, the one that burned Tuesday.
Some of the friends, who gathered in the neighborhood Tuesday, said they were at the home about five months ago for a meeting of the Urhobo Association of Washington D.C. Samson Omogbo’s wife cooked a feast, and he proudly introduced his children and grandchildren to all of his friends, Efemini said. He bragged about one of his children, a basketball player. Samson Omogbo was a family man to the end, his friend said. The fire began at 2:03 a.m. and grew so large as the family slept that neighbors across a creek from the house spotted the flames, fire officials said. By the time emergency crews arrived, fire and smoke filled the first and second floors.
“That’s our culture,” Efemini said. “Extended family lives together. We welcome family and foreigners.” Frantic sisters out front directed firefighters to the family members still inside.
Efemini and Ajueyitsi remembered Samson as a moving, “electrifying” orator, who would often sing and dance. It took about 20 firefighters and medics about 30 minutes to put out the fire and treat victims. Bashoor said fighting the fire was difficult because of the extreme cold. Ladders and hoses froze and ice hung from firefighters’ uniforms .
“Samson can speak so eloquently,” Ajueyitsi said. “He brought life to words.” Crews were aggressive and got to those trapped and hurt “pretty quickly,” but the injuries of those who died “were pretty severe,” Bashoor said. All of the victims were pulled from second-floor bedrooms, he said.
Ajueyitsi smiled as he watched a video on a cellphone of himself and Samson singing a traditional song together in the Urhobo language at a recent picnic. The house that burned is owned by the McGarvey Family Trust, headed by Paul J. McGarvey, an 83-year-old Prince George’s County lawyer who handles cases involving drunken driving, divorce and estate planning.
“Life is good, we live the life,” they sang as others tapped out a beat with dinner plates and forks. “A yam grows and overcomes the obstacles of life. It is the blessing of the father that goes with the child.” “I can’t believe what happened,” McGarvey said of the fatal fire. “I take care of my properties. That’s the sad thing.”
In a short video posted on Twitter by officials, firefighters could be seen pulling some debris from the home and yard, including a little red bike. McGarvey said that as of Tuesday afternoon he not yet talked to county officials or fire investigators about what could have caused the fire but said that his maintenance manager had told him that a smoke detector had been installed in the home.
Bashoor said fighting the fire was difficult because of the extreme cold, noting that ladders and hoses were freezing. He said crews were aggressive in fighting the blaze and got to those who were trapped and injured “pretty quickly,” but noted that the injuries of those who died “were pretty severe.” “I’m almost certain we had them in there,” McGarvey said. But then he added, “I don’t really know. I have a man who does all my work.”
When firefighters arrived at 2:07 a.m., they found fire and smoke showing from the first and second floors of the home, and frantic family members out front telling them of people trapped inside, officials said. About 20 firefighters and medics from neighboring Montgomery County also assisted in battling the fire. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to put out the fire. Susan Hubbard, a spokeswoman with the Prince George’s County Department of Permitting, Inspections and Enforcement, said there are no current citations or violations against the house on Knollbrook Drive. It could not be immediately determined when the last inspection took place. It is up to the owner of a rental home to install smoke detectors, county officials said.
The damage to the home is estimated at about $250,000, according to Bashoor. Bashoor said the investigation is ongoing and it is too soon to consider whether charges are warranted in the incident.
Staff writer Peter Hermann contributed to this report. “It is painful,” said Charles Agbuza, the head pastor at the Celestial Church of Christ, where Samson Omogbo was a respected leader. “One would imagine things like this would not happen to them. It is not an easy thing to handle.”
Friends of the Omogbos rushed to the neighborhood as they learned of the tragedy. Many are also immigrants from Africa, and they had bonded with Samson Omogbo through shared culture as members of the Urhobo ethnic group.
As firefighters continued to work, hoses stretched along the street, tears slowly rolled down the cheeks of Sowho, Lucky Ajueyitsi and Michael Efemini. The three men reminisced about their visit to the home about five months ago for a meeting of the Urhobo Association of Washington, D.C. Caroline Omogbo cooked a feast, and Samson Omogbo proudly introduced his children and grandchildren to his friends, bragging about a son who was a basketball player at Colorado State University.
Caroline Omogbo adored her grandchildren, they remembered. And Samson Omogbo was an “electrifying” speaker who loved to dance and sing.
Before heading to a local hospital to visit the twins’ mother, Ajueyitsi pulled up a YouTube video on his cellphone. On the screen was an image of him and Samson Omogbo singing a traditional song together in the Urhobo language with others at a recent picnic.
“Life is good. We live the life,” they sang. “It is the blessings of the father that goes with the child.”
Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.