10 Feb UB Pastor’s Wife and Son Killed in Parsonage Fire

Tragedy has befallen our pastoral family at the Brooklyn Park UB church in Baltimore, Maryland. Senior pastor Samuel Sinnah lost his wife and 17-year-old son in an early-morning fire at the parsonage. A neighbor who tried to help also perished.

Fire broke out at the parsonage around 2:40 am on Tuesday, February 10. The parsonage is located across the street from the Brooklyn Park church.

According to local press reports, when firefighters arrived, they could see smoke and flames coming from the home. Firefighters pulled three persons from the burning house, all of whom were unconscious. They were taken to local hospitals, where all three were pronounced dead. They are:

• Mrs. Lettitia Sinnah, 39, wife of Pastor Samuel Sinnah.
• Sundima Sinnah, 17, a son.
• Christopher Rickman, 45, a neighbor.

Rickman’s father, Jack, entered the house about 90 seconds after his son. However, partway up the stairs he had to stop and back out, because the thick smoke made it impossible for him to breathe.

According to fire officials, Rev. and Mrs. Sinnah, along with a 20-year-old son, made it out of the house alive. However, Lettitia re-entered the house to find Sundima, and Rickman ran in after her. Mrs. Sinnah was reportedly last seen in an upstairs bedroom. When firefighters retrieved them, they were reported as being in “full cardiac arrest.”

Rev. Samuel Sinnah (right) was appointed senior pastor of Brooklyn Park effective April 30, 2014. He grew up in a Christian family in the Kailuhun district of Sierra Leone, and was baptized by his father. He and his wife, a teacher, were married in 1994. At some point, they emigrated from Sierra Leone to the United States.

Sundima, known as “Sunny” by his high school classmates, was described as an outgoing, “incredibly popular” boy who played the piano and organ. “Every Sunday I’d go up to him after offering and say ‘I need my hug,'” said Linda Busker, a member of Brooklyn Park.

Fire officials initially concluded that the fire started in the older son’s back bedroom, but were still investigating. After failing to put out the fire, he reportedly called 911 and escaped the home with his parents. A total of 55 firefighters spent about an hour getting the fire under control. A fire department spokesperson said the home was damaged “significantly, if not destroyed.”