Prince George's County fire officials said a fire at an off-campus apartment has taken the life of a University of Maryland student.
The fire started at 2:30 a.m., in a basement apartment in the 7100 block of Rossburg Drive, in College Park, Md., News4 reported.
Fire department spokesman Mark Brady said firefighters from the nearby College Park station were the first to arrive and noticed fire coming from a basement apartment of a six-unit building.
"They located the body of a 23-year-old male who was unconscious and not breathing in his bedroom," Brady said. "Paramedics provided advanced life support and he was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later."
The student, David Ellis, was an aspiring radio DJ from New York.
The victim's roommate returned home before fire crews arrived, but he couldn't get to Ellis.
Another person living in the same apartment suffered minor injuries, Brady said.
Firefighters said they don't know whether the hard-wired smoke detector was working. Ellis had been having trouble with his stove burning food and may have disconnected the detector.
Officials do know that the building and 29 others like it were recently cited by the city for violating the code that requires larger windows. They must be large enough to get in or out of easily.
Fire investigators are still looking for a cause at this time.
A bus was brought to the scene to provide shelter for the displaced residents of the building, News4 reported.
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