4 children, 2 adults dead in Charles Co. house fire

Valerie Bonk | vbonk@wtop.com
Will Vitka | will.vitka@wtop.com
August 10, 2025, 6:26 PM

Four children and two adults are dead after a house fire erupted in Charles County, Maryland, Sunday morning.

There were a total of nine people linked to the house, according to officials. Of the three survivors, one person managed to get out of the home and two others were not there when the blaze broke out.

Although the cause of the fire remains under investigation, Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said the fire originated on the right side of the home within an enclosed porch.

Heavy machinery was going to be brought to the scene to help remove debris Sunday afternoon.

{snip}

Valerie Bonk
Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas.
vbonk@wtop.com
@ValerieBonk

Will Vitka
William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.
will.vitka@wtop.com