BETHESDA, MD. -- A 94-year-old woman and her 61-year-old son died in a house fire in Bethesda, Maryland the day before Thanksgiving.
The house is located in the 4900 block of Western Avenue.
A family member identified the victims as Inge Randolph and her son John A. Randolph.
No working smoke detectors were found in the home, according to Pete Piringer, spokesman for the Montgomery County Maryland Fire Rescue Service
John Randolph was living in the home and caring for his vulnerable mother, according to Inge Randolph’s sister-in-law Virginia Randolph.
The family has owned the home since the 1940’s, Ms. Randolph said. Inge Randolph’s husband died decades ago.
Fire investigators are investigating the possibility that Mr. Randolph had been trying to evacuate his 94-year-old mother down a flight of stairs when the pair were overcome by smoke, Priniger said.
The cause of the fire which started on the home’s first floor in a front room has not been determined but it appears to have been accidental, according to Piringer.
Investigators found smoke detectors had been installed but were inoperable. They also found new smoke detectors that were in unopened packaging. It appeared the smoke detectors had been purchased in 2013, Piringer said.
There is evidence that Mr. Randolph may have unsuccessfully tried to fight the fire with a fire extinguisher before trying to rescue his mother.
Montgomery County firefighters plan to canvass the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon to educate residents on the importance of functioning smoke detectors.
