Officials in Montgomery County, Maryland, are ordering that a home at the center of a fatal fire in September 2017 be demolished after tunnels that threaten its stability were found under the building, a report by WUSA9 says. The Bethesda, Maryland, home was deemed unsafe by the county.
A letter from Montgomery County also states the house was in a “hoarding condition,” which was revealed after the fire, the report says. The current occupant, David Beckwitt, is appealing the county’s demolition order.
Askia Khafra was found in one of the tunnels after the fire department arrived at the home Sept. 29. Beckwitt was also present at the time of the fire and was transferred to the hospital and treated for smoke inhalation. The report says there is no information of Khafra’s cause of death, what started the fire or if any charges are pending.
The report says the fire department’s investigation is complete and is waiting for the police department’s investigation to be completed before publishing any information.