Two residents are dead and a child is critically injured after a fire spread in the Northampton Apartment Homes in Largo, Maryland, Tuesday morning.
The man who died, 40-year-old Andra King, was a father of six, his brother told News4. King's brother described him as extremely loving and kind and says the loss is devastating.
"He was my inspiration," he said. "He was the one that really taught me what faith was really about. He would go above and beyond to make sure that everyone was well taken care of and had a smile on their face."
Prince George's County Fire & EMS responded to a two-alarm residential building fire at 81 Harry S. Truman Drive shortly before 4 a.m., where they found the fire raging through the roof.
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Video showed about 100 firefighters at the scene, with several working to search through the severely damaged building after huge flames took over the roof.
Several people were rescued, and the roof of the building collapsed.
Firefighters found King dead at the scene, and a boy was rushed to a hospital with critical injuries.
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A dog was found not breathing in the apartment, but firefighters were able to revive it.
Later Tuesday morning, firefighters also found a woman under the roof's rubble while searching the building. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The victims lived together in the same apartment unit, according to fire officials. The woman's identity has not yet been released.
'I got you, bro, for life'
King worked as a longshoreman in Baltimore and had been going through a difficult time since the Key Bridge collapse, his brother said. In addition, their parents both recently passed away, so it's been a heartbreaking time for the whole family.
"He's up there with Mom, Dad, everybody; so just continue to watch over them, us, and I’ll make sure the kids are good," his brother said through tears. "I got you, bro, for life."
A family friend, Marilyn Blackwell, said she watched Andra King grow up and that he was like a second son to her. She said he brought joy to everyone around him.
"When everybody saw him, they just started running to hug him, 'cause they felt comfort," Blackwell said.
They had been looking forward to their annual Fourth of July party, and Blackwell said she can't believe he's gone.
"Laughing, talking, giving you good advice; just everything about him was awesome," she said.
King was also a talented musician, his brother said. He'd also been dreaming of buying a new car, and the two of them had planned to do that this weekend.
'Flames bursting out of the apartment'
Avery Vick, 18, was one of the residents in the building. He said he woke out of his sleep after hearing a ringing noise and thought it was a test alarm at first.
"But I looked at my time in the morning, and it's three in the morning and I'm like, 'No, this is not a test,'" Vick said.
Vick, a former fire cadet, said he was able to alert his family about the fire.
Once Vick smelled smoke by the front door, he got his parents up, and they got out safely.
"The fire was fully developed. It was flames busting out the back of the apartment. It was a lot," Vick said. "We were standing by the trash cans, and I could still feel the heat from the building."
It took hours for firefighters to put out the massive flames. Workers were still at the apartment complex Tuesday afternoon, boarding up windows and cleaning up damage.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Firefighters said they planned to check residents' smoke detectors and to discuss fire safety plans with them. County residents who need smoke alarms installed in their homes may call Prince George's Fire & EMS at 301-583-2200.
CORRECTION (July 2, 2024, 5:26 p.m.): An earlier version of this story identified the apartment complex as the North Hampton Apartments. The development is called Northampton Apartment Homes.
CORRECTION (July 2, 2024, 11:22 p.m.): An earlier version of this story identified the victim in one reference as Vick. The victim's last name is King, not Vick.
