Couple found dead in Harford County house fire, son jumped from second floor window

A couple and a dog were killed in a house fire early Wednesday morning in Havre de Grace, Maryland.

Three people were in the two-story home on Erie Street when the fire started just after 1 a.m., according to Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire.

"The fire raced from the first floor up to the second floor, rapidly spread throughout the attic and throughout the home," he told WJZ.

Alkire said smoke alarms woke up James Clark on the second floor, who ran downstairs to find heavy fire in the living room.  

"He then raced back up the stairs, kicked out the window, and jumped out that second-story window," Alkire said.

Clark told WJZ that he owns the house. He said he jumped out of the second-floor window to escape the fire, but he wasn't able to save his parents or his puppy.

"Actually too late to do anything. I tried to get me and my dog out. I made it. The dog didn't want to come out. I guess he was scared of the height. Tried to get my parents out. One of them is in a wheelchair and one of them is on crutches and they didn't make it," Clark said.

The medical examiner's office confirmed that Clark's 85-year-old mother and 73-year-old father were found dead in a second-floor bedroom.

A firefighter with the Susquehanna Hose Company was hurt by an electric shock during the fire. He was rushed to Bayview Medical Center, but Alkire said the injury was "minor."

There's no word yet on how the fire started, but Alkire said investigators are focusing on the first floor living room. The fire marshal's office said there is no evidence of criminal activity and they are examining "all accidental causes."  

"This is tragically the first fatality in Harford County, and it's sadly the first double fatal that we've had so far this year," he said.

"Our hearts break for the victims and their loved ones," said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray.  

Havre de Grace, Maryland, is about 40 miles northeast of Baltimore.