July 23 -- A Howard County firefighter died early Monday after he fell through the floor during a house fire in Clarksville and was trapped for 22 minutes in the burning basement, officials said.
They identified the firefighter as Nathan Flynn, a husband, father and 13-year veteran of the department. He is the first career firefighter killed in the line of duty in Howard County history, officials said. The Havre de Grace resident was also a volunteer firefighter with the Susquehanna Hose Company in Harford County.
"He was a heck of a firefighter. He loved the fire service. He loved his family," Howard County Deputy Fire Chief William Anuszewski said with tears in his eyes. "Today is a tough day. ... We know there's always a possibility of this day, but we hope it never comes."
Officials said Flynn fell through the first floor when he and a crew of firefighters entered a seven-alarm blaze that began shortly before 2 a.m. at 7005 Woodscape Drive. The mayday call was made at 2:20 a.m. and rescuers removed Flynn at 2:42 a.m., officials said. He was taken to Howard County General Hospital, where he died.
Firefighters responded to the large house in the Thistledown development after a 911 caller reported smoke in the building from a possible lightning strike, Howard County fires spokesman Brad Tanner said. Three people inside the house were safely removed, he said.
"We grieve together as a community, and we are reminded of the risks and dangers faced by all of our first responders every day," Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said.
Flynn, who lived in Havre de Grace, is survived by "several" small children, said Richard L. Ruehl, the president of the Howard County Professional Fire Fighters Association. He and other officials declined to give the children's ages.
"This is the first time, as the county executive noted, that we've ever had to deal with this in Howard County, and honestly we don't know what to do right now," Ruehl said. He praised the aid offered by other agencies and said he had been receiving messages from fire unions around the country.
Officials from the State Fire Marshal's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were assisting local crews with the fire investigation.
More than 100 firefighters and medics responded to the home throughout the morning. The fire rekindled at about 8:30 a.m., and firefighters blasted water at the building from multiple directions, tearing off shingles. The fire was placed under control shortly after 10 a.m. and out at about noon.
According to property records, the home is owned by Janet Siddiqui, who lost this year's Democratic primary race for Howard County Council. She did not respond to a telephone message seeking comment.
Steven James, a real estate broker, has lived near the housing development for 33 years. He remembers when the building was erected 28 years ago, and on Monday morning, he watched from across the street as a fire tore through its roof.
Members of Susquehanna Hose Company are mourning the loss of their fellow volunteer, Nathan Flynn, a Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services firefighter who died battling a seven-alarm house fire in Clarksville in Howard County Monday morning.
Flynn, who went by "Nate," was a member...
James said he woke up "from a dead sleep" at about 2 a.m. and heard the sound of lightning striking something.
"I saw a flash and heard the hit," he said. "It was so loud. It hit and it echoed."
Flynn served as a member of Howard County's Rivers Park station in Columbia, officials said. He had also volunteered at the Chapel Road station of the Susquehanna Hose Company in Havre de Grace since March 2017, according to the company's chief, Scott Hurst.
Many of the members also went to school with Flynn's wife. He was on the hose company's swiftwater rescue team and was on Harford County's technical rescue team, Hurst said.
"He was very well-respected, very well-trained, very well-disciplined," Hurst said. "And a great guy to hang out with."
Hurst said that when he first heard of Flynn's death, he thought of the man's wife and kids, then about the dangers of the job.
"It really hits home about getting through your career as a firefighterwithout losing your life," he said. "I've been thinking about that all morning, as has everybody else."
Gov. Larry Hogan ordered the U.S. and state flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Flynn through sunset on the day of his burial.
Hogan said Flynn was "a fallen hero" and that the 13-year veteran had "bravely ran toward danger to save others' lives."
Earlier this month, lightning set the roof of another Clarksville house on fire. The fire, in the 5200 block of Sweet Meadow Lane on July 4, was quickly brought under control and the residents were not home. Three firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and were evaluated as a precautionary measure.
Beginning in 2011, Howard County required sprinklers in all new, detached homes for which builders apply for permits. Tanner said it was not clear if there were sprinklers inside of the Woodscape Drive home, which was built in 1990.
No career firefighter has ever died in the line of duty in Howard County, but two members of the Ellicott City Volunteer Fire Department died in 1953 and three members of the Lisbon Volunteer Fire Company died in 1969, officials said.
Baltimore Sun Media Group reporter Pamela Wood contributed to this article.
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