Three die in Derwood house fire

Fatalities bring total this year to 30

Chris Rossi⁄The Gazette Firefighters and investigators go over the scene of a fatal fire on Muncaster Mill Road in Derwood that claimed the lives of three people early Monday morning.

The deaths bring the number of fire fatalities in the county to 13, ‘‘the most we’ve had in 30 years,” Montgomery County Fire Chief Thomas W. Carr Jr. said during a press conference this afternoon.

‘‘We’re very concerned about that,” he said, calling the fire ‘‘a tragedy for the community.”

There were four fire fatalities in the county last year, Carr said at the press conference, held at a church located a few doors down from the family’s home.

The fire occurred in a one-story rambler in the 17800 block of Muncaster Road, Pete Piringer, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services said.

Thirteen-year-old Oscar Sanchez and three other family members were asleep in the house when the teen was awakened by the noise of a smoke alarm going off just before 4 a.m. The door to his room, which was in the basement, had been closed and when he pushed it open, he encountered ‘‘some heat and heavy smoke conditions and a fire,” Piringer said.

Sanchez escaped out the back door, ran to a neighbor’s home and banged on the door, shouting that his house was on fire and his family was still trapped inside, Piringer said.

The teen and the neighbor called 911 and then returned to the blazing home, but were not able to get inside. Fire and rescue units arrived a few moments later, Piringer said, and initially had a trouble entering the home because of the intensity of the fire.

When firefighters went inside the home, they discovered the bodies of 5-year-old Adam Sanchez and 75-year-old Paula Curiel, the boys’ grandmother, in a bedroom on the first floor. Carr said the child’s body was found underneath the bed.

The child, who had gone into cardiac arrest, was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead an hour later, Carr said. Curiel was pronounced dead at the scene.

Piringer said firefighters found the body of 45-year-old Guillermina ‘‘Gail” Curiel Garcia, the mother of the boys, in the dining room of the home. She was also pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

Sanchez, who was the sole survivor, was transported to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville as a precaution. Carr said the boy’s hair and clothing were singed.

Sanchez’s father, who did not live in the home, was notified about the house fire, Carr said.

Sanchez is a student at Redland Middle School and his younger brother, who would have celebrated his sixth birthday on Wednesday, was a student at Sequoyah Elementary School, Carr said.

Sixty-five firefighters were on the scene ‘‘at the height of the fire,” he said, and it took firefighters about 20 minutes to knock out the bulk of the flames.

Piringer said it looks like the other family members were in the process of trying to escape, but were overwhelmed by the smoke and flames.

The fire is believed to have originated in the living room of the home, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation, Piringer said. He added that there was a religious shrine with candles and an additional heating unit present in that area. Damage to the house is estimated to be about $250,000.

Carr encouraged county residents to check that their smoke alarms are working in their homes and to have a fire escape plan in place.

‘‘Because it’s too late when the fire occurs,” he said.

Carr noted that representatives from Fire and Rescue Services would be going door to door in the neighborhood this evening to talk to residents about the incident and ways to prevent fires.