Published: April 17, 2026
HARPER CITY, Maryland County — A fire that tore through a four-bedroom house in the Middle Sex Community early Wednesday morning left a blind man homeless and prompted a search for a hearing-impaired youth who was reportedly cooking inside the structure before the blaze broke out.
Sieh Cooper, who is visually impaired, was unaware his house was burning until smoke reached him as he sat outside under a mango tree, according to neighbors who rushed to the scene. By the time residents contained the flames, the house and nearly all its contents were destroyed. Only a few cooking pots were salvaged.
Community members identified a boy known only as “June Boy” as a person of interest, saying he had been warming food and may have left burning coal in a cook pot before bringing it indoors. June Boy, described as hearing-impaired, has not been seen since the fire. Authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the cause.
The house had been without electricity for roughly three years, residents said.
Neighbors, mostly young men from the community, mobilized without professional firefighting support to keep the flames from spreading to adjacent homes.
“As a community, we have to do our best to fight fires and reduce the damage since we cannot always depend on limited fire service resources,” said Chris Pajible Jr., one of the responders.
No injuries were reported. Cooper has since been taken to an undisclosed location by relatives.
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