COLUMBIA, Md. — As fire spread through the second floor of the townhouse on Shell Flower Lane in Columbia, a mother and one of her daughters escaped, while the other remained trapped inside.
One neighbor ran into the house to try to rescue her before the thick, black smoke forced him back outside.
“We saw smoke,” said Chuck Rishell, one of the victim’s neighbors, “We thought it was one of these two end units here, and it wasn’t until maybe 10 minutes, we were having dinner, 10, 15 minutes, we didn’t want to get in the way. There were firetrucks all up and down the street.”
Firefighters entered the home and discovered the body of 15-year-old Katie Chase.
“My daughter called me. I happened to run an errand and she was by herself… called me hysterically that there was flames and smoke everywhere,” said Stephanie Ojeda, “She couldn’t see what was going on and sirens. She couldn’t see any of the houses, because of all of the smoke and she heard screams and that stuck with her."
Katie was a sophomore at Wilde Lake High School, which notified her fellow students of her death today during their third period classes.
In a letter sent out to parents, the school said it is making members of its student services staff and the school system’s crisis intervention team available for students who need assistance.
They’re also asking parents to talk with their children to help them handle their anxiety, fears or grief, which is common after such a loss.
“Just completely devastating. She was a friend of my son and my daughter as well,” said Ojeda, “My son is very numb. My daughter is pretty unconsolable right now so it’s been a really tough day.”
If you'd like to help the family, a couple GoFundMe pages have been set up.
