A family is coming to grips days after a fatal Maryland fire claimed the life of a beloved patriarch and left their childhood home with extensive damage.
Early in the morning of Friday, July 19, first responders were called to the 11400 block of Neelsville Church Road near Shakespeare Boulevard in Germantown, where there was a reported house fire with a person trapped inside.
Firefighters were able to rescue an 80-year-old man from a burning bedroom, while several others inside the home were able to escape safely.
The man later died from his injuries after being airlifted to MedSTAR in DC.
At the time of the fire, there were five family members inside, who were reunited when they had to say goodbye to their grandfather.
"While hooked up to a breathing machine and under medication, we were able to all meet up in DC to say our goodbyes before he was taken off support and shortly passed away," his granddaughter said.
"My grandfather was a veteran, a hardworking man, and a father figure to my siblings and I."
According to fire investigators, the blaze was caused by a motorized hospital bed inside the home.
"Dealing with the death of a loved one is hard enough, but not having a home to come back to and process it all is even harder," Sierra Sirk said.
"The fire displaced my entire family of 6, including a 5 year old and 3 year old who called that house their second home with daily stays, as well as three pets."
The residence, which four generations of the family have called home, was built in 1979, and was described as "a welcoming and open door place for (the family) to hang out."
Sirk said that they are working with insurance companies following the fire, though those processes notoriously take a long time, and the house will be uninhabitable for months.
"While structural damages are expensive on their own and are in the process of being covered, that does not account for all of the emergency living expenses, personal necessities, food, and anything else needed during this unhoused period," she added.
The community has been quick to support the family, raising thousands of dollars in the days since the fatal fire, which was the first in Montgomery County this year.
As this house had absolutely nothing but love and care to give to others, all I ask is that the same community be able to give the same love back," the organizers of a GoFundMe wrote.
"While nothing can ever replace the people and memories lost due to this fire, any help with making this transition over the next few months more comfortable and possible for my family would mean the world."
The GoFundMe can be found here.
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