Silver Spring man dead after backyard fire tragedy

While many of us hand out valentines Feb. 14, Montgomery County police officers will hand out tickets to distracted drivers caught holding cellphones.(WTOP/Kate Ryan)

WASHINGTON — A fire that broke out in the backyard of a home in Silver Spring, Maryland, ended in tragedy, with a man dying from burns sustained during the fire.

It happened around 8 p.m. Thursday at a home on Briggs Chaney Road near Lear Lane Avenue, Burtonsville.

“We do believe he is an elderly resident of the home,” said Capt. David Falcinelli with Montgomery County police about the victim.

Falcinelli said homicide detectives from Montgomery County police were on scene to investigate.

“Anytime there’s an unattended death in the county we’re definitely going to bring in the homicide detectives,” he said.

The early indications are that the fire started while the homeowner was burning some brush in the backyard.

Somehow things got out of control and he ended up sustaining burns as well.

At this point there’s no foul play suspected in this incident.

Police have not yet released the victim’s name.

Pete Piringer, chief spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service tweeted about the incident.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a quote from Capt. David Falcinelli.

John Domen

John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. While he got his on-air start at small stations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, he's spent most of his career in the D.C. area, having been heard on several local stations before coming to WTOP.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up