Montgomery County woman found dead during house fire – remembered as animal lover and thoughtful neighbor

A Montgomery County woman was found dead during a house fire early Tuesday morning in the Poolesville area. The cause is still under investigation, according to a fire department spokesperson.

The home is situated at the vertex of a pointed street, around where Whites Ferry and Darnestown Road converge. On Tuesday afternoon, a portion of the wall on the second floor of the building was charred and belongings lay splayed on the lawn, including a blackened mattress and broken furniture.

Neighbors and friends identified the building’s occupant as Helen White, a homebody and animal lover they estimated was in her 60’s. They said she worked closely with local rescues and nursed several animals from illness to health in her lifetime.

Catherine Sutton, a friend and neighbor who lives just behind the victim, said White lived in the home with her Siberian Husky, Happy, and a longhaired cat.

She remembered her neighbor as a deeply generous person who often brought her thoughtful gifts including a favorite dessert of Sutton’s, rosemary shortbread, from a nearby bakery. White planned on making it from scratch for her next time, Sutton said.

“She was a sweet person,” Sutton said, adding that, when she learned of her neighbor’s death on Tuesday “my heart broke for her.”

Sutton displayed a tiny bouquet of red and blue flowers and a pine tree sprig in a small vase in her kitchen. She said the flowers were picked and gifted to her by her now deceased neighbor who also made sure Sutton had flowers when her birthday rolled around in September.

“She said something like, ‘a girl has to have flowers on her birthday,’” Sutton recalled.

Crews responded around midnight after getting the call about the blaze on the 16600 block of Whites Ferry Road in Boyds, said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson David Pazos.

About 75 firefighters responded to the scene, Pazos said. They found the fire on the second floor of the home and attempted to get in through the doors but “heavy storage” inhibited their ability to get inside, Pazos said, so crews propped up a ladder and entered through the window.

Once in the home, firefighters discovered the body of a woman.

Police declined to confirm the name or age of the victim.

Around midnight, Edin Pass, who lives around the corner, heard the sound of sirens and saw flames down the block and immediately knew which house they were likely coming from. He said he tried to make his way to the building, but the street was blocked off.

“I’m thinking, ‘it’s her house because she have too many thing I think around the house,’” Pass said.

He didn’t know his neighbor well, but he works as a roofer in the area and had done an inspection on her roof after a recent hail storm. He said she was always kind and friendly.

“It’s hard to now understand she’s dead,” Pass said, adding he stayed home from work Tuesday as he processed the news. “I can’t believe.”

“She was a good, good person,” Sutton said. “Good, generous, kind, big heart – I will miss her very much.”

Update (12/3 midnite) 16600 White’s Ferry Rd, fatal house fire; victim located on 2nd fl; dog got out; fire originated on 1st fl w/ multiple competent ignition sources, none of which could be ruled out; Cause, accidental, under investigation; Damage $300K structure/$100K contents pic.twitter.com/Z8TRmTc76M

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 4, 2024