An emotional Richard McNeil struggled to find the right words Tuesday afternoon as debris from his house -- where Patuxent Naval Air Station Firefighter Brice Trossbach died -- smoldered.
McNeil told NBC4 he and his wife, Grace were alerted to the fire by an adult daughter. “She ran into us and she said, ‘The house is on fire!’ I walked over to the hallway and I could see the flames blowing in there.”
They escaped the home they built in 1976 before firefighters arrived. They watched from across the street as crews battled the fire and then entered the house
He said he wasn't sure why firefighters went back in. McNeil added that the loss has hit them hard.
“It’s hard to explain how it hurts inside, All’s I’ve got to say is that I’m sorry it happened. I know he was doing his job.”
Trossbach fell through the first floor and was buried by heavy debris when he landed in the basement.
A firefighter was heard calling Mayday, advising there was a firefighter down. After being freed, he was transported to a hospital where he died.
As all departments in St. Mary's County were taken out of service, fellow firefighters in apparatus escorted him to the Maryland Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore.
While lightning has not been ruled out, the state fire marshal's office, ATF and other investigators are continuing to probe through the ashes and conduct interviews.
In addition to working at Patuxent Naval Air Station, he was a volunteer firefighter in Leonardtown and Bay District fire companies.
