UPDATE: Lexington Park Woman Thanks Firefighters and Community After Her House was Destroyed by Fire

August 12, 2019
Firefighters removing family photos from the house fire on June 10, 2019.

Firefighters removing family photos from the house fire on June 10, 2019.

On June 10, 2019 Christina Jones lost her home on Mary Lynn Drive in Lexington Park to a fire. She asked SMNEWSNET.com to post the following “Thank You” letter.

On June 10th at 5:01 a.m. I woke up to our house fully on fire. My husband gone. My children sleeping. There wasn’t any time to think. Just get out. As if an automatic switch had been flicked, my body responded on its own. The screaming. The crying. The smell. The sounds of crackling. The explosion. The wet ground seeping through our socks as we ran. Moments later, my neighbor. Her arms around us tight. The praying, the pleading. Hearing our inconsolable sobs like an out of body experience. After what felt like the longest hour, it was finally out. If it wasn’t fire damage, it was smoke and water. The loss was felt deep.

The feeling of appreciation and gratitude was felt even deeper. Before the fire was extinguished the outpouring of help and compassion came flowing in. My children were clothed and fed. Dogs taken for safe keeping. My husband graciously driven the one and a half hours back home from D.C. by a coworker and friend. Our phones were beeping and ringing as if on a continuous loop the entire day. I literally had strangers putting money in my hand and walking away. In the midst of our chaos we were surrounded by neighbors, friends and family.

Despite any hardships and tragedies we as humans face, one of life’s lessons is to keep moving forward. Realistically, we could have gotten through this without any help. The point of this message is to say “thank you for not letting us”. Thank you for caring enough to alleviate our worries. For your efforts to relieve such a huge weight of burden and stress off our shoulders. Thank you for the clothes we wear and the shoes on our feet. Thank you for offering us places to stay and to wash up. Thank you for the financial cushion collected to help soften the blow. To the friend’s who knew I needed to laugh and the ones who knew I needed to cry, thank you. The peace of mind, the snack and meals, the playdates, the household items and toys, and most importantly the smiles on our girl’s faces, we sincerely thank you. Let’s not forget the liquor. That was a nice touch, too. Thank you for making this unexpected journey in our life a lot more bearable. Trudging through this alone would have been a very difficult task for our family. Please know these “thank you’s” aren’t out of a factory set, self-ingrained politeness. We say it with our whole hearts, each one intended to be as meaningful as the last.

To our family, friends, BDVFD, Red Knights Motorcycle Club, Strength and Honor Motorcycle Club, the teachers/staff and student body at Chesapeake Public Charter School and the rest of our amazing community….thank you for not letting us go through this alone. We are overwhelmed by the kindness and support we have recieved this summer. We are truly blessed to have each one of you in our lives.

To Bay District 3 & 9, NDW Pax River FD, Hollywood VFD, Leonardtown VFD, and Ridge VFD I will forever be grateful for you. Thank you for grabbing our irreplaceables that were in line of sight when the flames subsided. Pictures off the walls, photo albums, the ashes of our first family dog. I am indebted to you for your efforts to save the items that meant the most. To each and every one of you, my husband and I thank you for your service.

5/10/2019: On Monday, June 10, 2019, at approximately 5:05 a.m., firefighters from Bay District, NAS Patuxent River, Ridge, Hollywood, and Leonardtown responded to 47925 Mary Lynn Drive in Lexington Park, for the reported structure fire with fire showing.

Crews arrived on scene to find a 1-story single family residence with fire in the garage.

While attempting to cut holes in the roof from the exterior, firefighters reported it felt “spongey” and all units were ordered to get off the roof due to safety.

The fire was deemed under control after approximately 35 minutes.

The Fire Chief from the Bay District Volunteer Fire Department reported the fire was accidental and caused by an electrical event in the garage.

The occupants, one adult female, and two children were woken up by the smoke detectors within the home, and they all escaped safely with no injuries being reported.

Updates will be provided when they become available.