She stood at the second-story window, the house behind lit by flames. He stood behind her, trying to help her jump. She screamed for her children, and he pushed her through the window. When she was out, he went back for their 18-month-old and 4-year-old. The burning house claimed him and the children. 

The cause of the two-alarm house fire in Curtis Bay is still unknown. Neighbors say they called the fire department at 4:02 a.m., but help did not arrive until 4:20. Law enforcement disputes that timing, saying an engine was on the scene within minutes. 

Could this man and his children have been saved if help had arrived on time? What was the cause? Were smoke alarms working? With time comes answers, but it is too late to save this family. 

According to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), the risk of dying in a fire in Maryland is just above the national average. While the state has residential fire codes, regulatory violations are not uncommon. 

Points about structural fires in the United States include: 

• Fatal residential fires occur more often in cooler months across the United States. The upswing could be because of greater use of heating equipment and the tendency to spend more time indoors.
• Leading causes of residential fires include smoking, electrical malfunction and carelessness.
• Not surprisingly, more fatal fires occur in the early morning hours when people are asleep and not as quick to respond to an emergency. 

She was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. The fire displaced ten other people when it spread to two more homes. 

Speak with skilled injury attorneys in Maryland if you are injured or a loved one is killed in an accident caused by the negligence of others.