Cigarette Blamed for Fatal Maryland Fire

Maryland fire investigators say an unattended lit cigarette started a Millers Island house fire that killed an 11-year-old boy earlier this month.

The fire department said Wednesday that someone left a lit cigarette on a porch railing at the home in the 8900 block of Hinton Avenue on July 7. Officials say the cigarette fell onto the porch, the home caught fire and 11-year-old Jacob Grey died.

The fire was ruled an accident and the fire department says damages total $340,000.

A fire spokeswoman says Grey’s body was found underneath debris in an upstairs room at the house after part of the home collapsed.

Upon arriving, firefighters entered the home to search it but were forced out by explosions. Once the fire was under control, firefighters found Grey’s body.