Parsonsburg House Fire Claims Two Lives; Firefighter Hospitalized After Rescue Effort
WICOMICO COUNTY, MD (February 1, 2026) - A team of investigators from the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Maryland State Police is investigating the cause of a fire that claimed the lives of two people in Parsonsburg early Sunday morning, and sent an off-duty firefighter to the hospital.
A passerby called 911 just before 2:40 a.m. when he observed smoke and flames coming from the home at 32904 Old Ocean City Road. He then knocked on the front door and windows to wake the owners. Around the same time, an off-duty Ocean City Fire Department firefighter, who is also a volunteer with the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company, arrived at the scene. The member kicked in the rear door of the home in hopes of locating someone and discovered a victim. He attempted to remove the victim; however, he was overcome by heavy smoke and had to exit the home for his safety. Maryland State Police Aviation Command later flew him to a Baltimore area hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition.
Firefighters with the Parsonsburg Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding departments arrived and quickly upgraded the incident to two alarms. The fire quickly spread throughout the two-story home, where sections of the home collapsed. It took around 100 firefighters nearly two hours to bring the fire under control. Firefighters later located the remains of two victims inside.
The origin and cause are both under investigation. Deputy State Fire Marshals have not determined whether smoke alarms were present. The victims were taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where they will be positively identified, as well as the cause of the death.
"This is a heartbreaking incident for the Parsonburg community and for the fire service. An off-duty firefighter did what firefighters do — he acted without hesitation to try to save lives. We are grateful he is expected to recover. Tragically, two lives were lost, which reminds us how quickly fires can turn deadly. Every home should have working smoke alarms and a home escape plan," said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray.
The Maryland State Police assisted the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which is standard operating procedure when a fatal fire occurs.
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 Photo Credit - Wayne Barrall Delmarva Now
 Photo Credit - Office of the State Fire Marshal
The
Office of the State Fire Marshal is an agency of the Department of
State Police dedicated to helping protect citizens from fire and
explosion through a comprehensive program of education,
inspection, investigation and fire protection engineering. For more
information on fire safety call 1-800-525-3124, log onto our website at: Maryland State Fire Marshal and/or our Facebook Page.
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