Fatal fire in sprinklered MD home. Sources say system had been shut off.
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Watch raw video of fire from Tom Yeatman
The Bowie, MD, house was built about 8-years-ago. Any home in Prince George’s County that had permits issued after January 1, 1992, is required to have a sprinkler system. There was a sprinkler system inside 15,315 Jenkins Ridge Road. So why was there so much fire on the second floor when the first units from PGFD Station 843 arrived at 4:45 AM on Tuesday?
The answer, according to sources familiar with the investigation, is the system wasn’t operating. The reason, according to the same sources, is it had been shut off.
Whether this was done because of a leak, or maintenance , or possibly a more sinister reason, is all part of a joint investigation involving Prince George’s County fire investigators and homicide detectives.
What is known is that a body was found in a second-floor bedroom above the garage. Investigators say this is likely where the fire started.
The victim has not been officially identified, but neighbors and friends believe the person killed is the 47-year-old woman who lived in the house.
Some neighbors thought they heard a commotion that included loud noises they thought could be gunshots. Investigators are trying to determine if that was the case or, if what neighbors actually heard is something popping or exploding in the fire.
At this point investigators are calling this a death investigation and have not called the fire suspicious. A significant number of resources, including a class of police recruits, were at the scene all day long gathering evidence.
More information is expected after an autopsy is performed.
