A seven-alarm house fire in Howard County, Maryland, on Monday caused the death of a firefighter after a floor collapsed and he was trapped.
The firefighter, identified as Nathan Flynn, 34, a 13-year Howard County Fire Department veteran, was on the first floor of the Clarksville, Maryland, home when it collapsed beneath him and he fell through to the basement, WBAL-11TV reported.
It took fellow firefighters 20 minutes to locate Flynn because of the smoke throughout the structure, according to the station.
Once located, Flynn was rushed to Howard County General Hospital in critical condition, where he was later pronounced dead.
Flynn is the first member of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services to have lost his life in the line of duty.
“This is the first time, as the county executive noted, that we’ve ever had to deal with this in Howard County, and honestly we don’t know what to do right now,” Richard Ruehl, president of the Howard County Professional Fire Fighters Association, said, The Baltimore Sun reported.
"Our job now is to make sure that his family and our brother are laid to rest with dignity and with all the honors that we can provide to them. It's also our job to take care of the family forever," he continued, WBAL reported.
“He was a heck of a firefighter. He loved the fire service. He loved his family,” Howard County Deputy Fire Chief William Anuszewski tearfully announced to the press, according to the Sun. “Today is a tough day. … We know there’s always a possibility of this day, but we hope it never comes.”
In addition to his work with Howard County, Flynn was a volunteer firefighter for the Susquehanna Hose Company.
Fire crews from Howard County as well as Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Montgomery, Baltimore, Frederick, and Carroll counties all responded to the fire at 2 a.m. before the blaze was finally contained at noon, WBAL reported.
Officials say the fire was likely started by a lightning strike.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.