A father died trying to rescue his 10-year-old son from a house fire in Hollywood, Maryland, without knowing the boy had already made it out safely. Christopher Gierhart, a 50-year-old Navy veteran, was overcome by the blaze at his $800,000 home shortly before 10pm on Sunday and was found dead on the second floor. The tragedy underscores the dangers of fireworks and the split-second decisions faced during house fires.

The fire is thought to have been started by July 4 sparklers dumped in a trash can. The Leonardtown Volunteer Fire Department was called to the two-storey home on Thornbury Drive after reports of a child trapped inside, but investigators later confirmed the son had already escaped. Gierhart, described by friends as a "wonderful man" and "devoted father", left behind his fiancée Lauren Copenhaver, who lost her partner, their home and nearly all their possessions; a GoFundMe has been set up to support her.