Family launches smoke alarm campaign after Suitland boy’s death

A Suitland family is asking other Prince George’s County parents to do tonight what they say their own home lacked last summer: make sure every smoke alarm works, every battery is fresh and every child knows how to get out.

The effort centers on 9-year-old Jonah West-Ramirez, who died after a fire in the 5800 block of Auth Road on August 5, 2025. Fire crews were dispatched around 1:43 a.m., and neighbors joined firefighters in trying to rescue him from an upstairs room. Jonah was taken to a hospital, where he died. Two firefighters were injured in the blaze, and Jonah’s mother escaped through a first-floor window with help from a neighbor.

The family has now joined Prince George’s County leaders, the county fire department and faith leaders to launch the Jonah West-Ramirez Smoke Alarm and Fire Safety Program. The campaign is built around prevention, not remembrance alone. Greater Works Ministries donated 500 smoke alarms and 500 fire extinguishers, with most of the equipment set to be distributed through District 8 fire stations. Another 100 items will be handed out at a free smoke alarm distribution event on June 6 at the Southern Regional Technology & Recreation Complex in Camp Springs.

The family is also working on fire-prevention education in schools, aiming to reach children before a home emergency turns fatal. The message is direct: a working alarm can buy seconds that matter, and a clear escape route can keep a fire from becoming a death trap.

County fire officials say that message fits the scale of the problem. Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services responds to more than 400 incidents a day, or about 157,000 incidents a year, including roughly 200 structure fires annually. County safety materials say three out of five fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or alarms that are not working. In half of fires where alarms failed to operate, batteries had been removed or disconnected.

Prince George’s County Fire and Emergency Medical Services offers free smoke alarm installation and fire-safety advisory inspections, and residents can request a home visit through 311 or by calling 301-864-SAFE, or 7233. County guidance also says landlords or property owners are responsible for installing, repairing, maintaining and replacing required smoke alarms in many cases, adding another layer of accountability to a problem that too often begins inside the home.

For Jonah’s family, the goal is to make sure another child in Suitland, Camp Springs or anywhere else in the county is not trapped by a fire that could have been detected sooner.