Navy Vet Dad Killed in Burning Home While Trying to Save Son Who Had Already Escaped

A Navy veteran and devoted father was killed after rushing back into his burning home to save his 10-year-old son, not realizing the boy had already escaped safely.

Christopher Gierhart, 50, died late Sunday following a devastating house fire that broke out after a Fourth of July fireworks display at his home in Hollywood, Maryland, according to Chesapeake Today.

Officials said Gierhart ran back inside because he believed his son was still trapped in the burning house.

“Initial reports indicated the child’s father had re-entered the residence in an attempt to locate the child,” the Maryland State Fire Marshal said in a statement without naming Gierhart.

“After extinguishing the fire, firefighters located the father deceased on the second floor of the home. The child was later confirmed to have safely escaped the home.”

Investigators believe the blaze may have been sparked by used fireworks that were thrown away after the family’s celebration.

“While the fire remains under investigation, preliminary information indicates the family had been using ground-based sparkler fireworks earlier in the evening,” the fire marshal said.

“After the fireworks display concluded, the spent fireworks were discarded into a trash can on the home’s screened-in rear deck.”

Deputy state fire marshals are now investigating whether the discarded fireworks were still hot enough to ignite combustible materials inside the trash can, causing the fire to spread through the home.

The blaze gutted the property, leaving the family without a home and nearly all of their belongings.

Gierhart’s exact cause of death remains under investigation.

The 50-year-old spent 25 years serving in the U.S. Navy and once commanded the Electronic Attack Squadron known as the “Gray Wolves.”

He also leaves behind his fiancée, Lauren Copenhaver, whom he proposed to one year ago, as well as his 10-year-old son.

Friend Amanda Peterson launched a fundraiser to help Copenhaver and the boy recover from the tragedy.

“What should have been a time of celebration became an unimaginable tragedy,” Peterson wrote.

“Following a devastating fireworks-related house fire, Lauren lost her beloved fiancé, Chris, their home and nearly everything they owned. In an instant, her entire world was changed forever.”

Peterson said Copenhaver is now facing the overwhelming task of rebuilding her life from nothing after losing her future husband, her home and almost everything the family owned in a single night.