Six people, including four children, died after a two-alarm fire engulfed a home Sunday morning in Charles County, Maryland, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Firefighters were called around 8:40 a.m. to the 3000 block of Declaration Court North in Waldorf, where a house was engulfed in flames.
Deputy state fire marshals, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and local volunteer fire and EMS crews assisted with search and recovery.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office said one adult escaped the fire, and two other residents were not home.
Investigators say there is no evidence of a criminal act, but the cause is still to be determined.
Study highlights cancer risk among firefighters
Earlier this month, a Maryland volunteer fire department hosted a cancer screening for firefighters.
While research has shown that firefighters are at a high risk of being diagnosed with some form of cancer, a new study by the American Cancer Society noted that certain cancers pose an even deadlier threat.
The study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology last week, determined that an increased risk of mortality for most cancers in firefighters, but especially with kidney and skin cancers.
For kidney cancer, the study found firefighters had a 40% higher mortality rate than those who weren’t firefighters. For skin cancer, the mortality rate is 58% higher.
Amidst that study, the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company was awarded a federal grant, which was used to host cancer screenings for firefighters.
Over the years, the Pikesville Volunteer Fire Company lost several members because of cancer.
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