OCEAN CITY — While area residents mourn the loss of a pillar in the religious community, an ongoing investigation has confirmed a man entered an Ocean City church rectory on fire Tuesday morning.
The three-alarm fire at the rectory of the St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church occurred Tuesday around 9:25 a.m. when Ocean City Communications was alerted to a fire at St. Paul’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, specifically its rectory located along Baltimore Ave. near 3rd Street. Flames were found emanating from the rectory building when crews arrived.
Although authorities continue to probe the blaze and its cause, early indications are foul play was involved on some level and that one of the individuals who died is responsible for the blaze. That much was confirmed by the Ocean City Fire Department investigation on Wednesday in a statement.
The scene on Baltimore Avenue on Tuesday morning is shown. Photo by Chris Parypa
“The initial investigation determined that the fire originated in the area of the ground floor pantry and porch space of the Shepherd’s Crook facility, which is located in the rectory building. The exact cause of the fire is still actively under investigation, however; preliminary findings by investigators indicate that John Raymond Sterner, 56, of Ocean City, entered the structure with a significant amount of fire on and about his person, quickly spreading the fire to the structure. Investigators suspect an accelerant was involved in the quick spread of the fire, which claimed the life of Sterner.”
The fire was quickly brought under control, but Sterner was immediately confirmed to be dead. His body was left inside the structure until the fire was extinguished, and paramedics tended to the two victims treated on the scene for life-threatening injuries, one of which was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center where she remains as of this afternoon. Her identity has not been confirmed.
The other injured victim was the church’s pastor, Rev. David A. Dingwall, who has been with the church since 2005. Dingwall was reportedly in his office on the second floor of the rectory when the fire occurred. He was found unconscious by firefighters and paramedics who reported heavy smoke and heat conditions.
Dingwall was treated on the scene and immediately hospitalized at Atlantic General Hospital. He was in stable condition as of 2:15 p.m., according to the Episcopal Diocese of Easton. However, later in the day, the Episcopal Diocese of Easton released a statement, saying, “It is with great sadness that we share with you that our brother in Christ, the Rev. David Dingwall, has died. Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon him.”
Later, AGH confirmed his death, reporting in a statement, “On behalf of the family, we are authorized to release that Father David Dingwall died this evening with family at his bedside. The family thanks everyone for their prayers and continued respect for their privacy at this time.”
The bodies of Dingwall and Sterner have been transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for Maryland to determine exact causes of death, according to the city.
The lone survivor, as of Wednesday, was a female. She was seen exiting the rectory and was afire. A nearby witness reportedly helped extinguish the fire on her person. City Hall employees reportedly saw the woman exit the rectory, and grief counseling has reportedly been offered to them, according to a city official.
Police are investigating the matter currently and interviewing people with knowledge of the situation.
Sterner, who has in the past faced a number of criminal charges, ranging from open container and disturbing the peace to assault and burglary, was reportedly a frequent visitor to the Shepherd’s Crook, a food pantry and clothing store that operates out of the ground floor of the rectory and helps the needy and homeless. The fire originated in the Shepherd’s Crook, which was to open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
The Fire Marshal’s Office and the Ocean City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division are asking anyone with information about the fire to call 410-723-6610.
According to the OCFD, major fire damage was sustained to the rectory, while only minor damage was reported to the church’s worship center and the Red Room Community Center.
“Today was a very tragic day for our community,” said Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore. “We are thankful for the numerous agencies that assisted us during our response and especially thankful for all of the public safety personnel who helped prevent this fire from claiming more lives.”
A prayer service was held Wednesday, Nov. 27 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church to offer prayers of comfort, healing and support for the congregation, families, and victims of the tragic fire.
Dingwall’s loss has led to an outpouring of personal reflections on social media sites in the community as well as an online effort at giveforward.com has been initiated to help the church raise money for future expenses associated with the fire.
Ocean City Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster, a member of the church, was on the scene of the fire on Tuesday. Shuster is a past senior warden with the church who worked closely with Dingwall on church business.
Connor Braniff is pictured outside the rectory. Photo by Chris Parypa
“To be honest with all that was going through my mind in the aftermath of the fire, it never really dawned on me that he would die. In my mind, I felt he would survive …,” Shuster said.
After appearing at City Hall for a Mayor and Council meeting, Shuster and his wife were at the hospital when Dingwall passed away. He said he was able to speak with Dingwall’s wife, Brenda, and two of their sons.
“We were able to embrace them and give our best wishes after she came out from the room he was in. Our Bishop was there as well so there was a lot of support there for the family. It was truly a shock for all of us,” Shuster said.
The loss was still a stinger for Shuster on Wednesday as he reflected on Dingwall’s professional and personal contributions.
“He worked to connect his family life with his parish life. One of the joys he had was that his son, Ian, was able to join him at church on Sundays, serving as an acolyte … that was a great joy for him to have his son there with him at the worship service. The congregation enjoyed their interaction,” he said. “Due to my capacity with the church, I got to know him on a behind-the-scenes operational nature with the church. I enjoyed working with him. He was very engaged with his family and coaching his son in soccer down in Snow Hill. He was an excellent preacher. He was very thoughtful man and very enlightening with the way he preached to our parish. He was very, very attentive to members of our community who were sick and ill. He was able to reach out to those people and tended to their needs.”
