Crime & Safety

Essex Teen Honored For Saving Family

Charley Knisley III, 15, received an executive citation and hero pin after he helped his grandparents and brother escape on April 14 from a house fire on Dorsey Avenue.

Mary Falkner has some abrasions and a sore leg, and her husband David suffered burns and smoke inhalation following a one-alarm

The Essex couple was hospitalized and lost all of their possessions, including their home of the last 26 years. However, both know it could have been much worse.

The Falkners credit their grandson, Charley Knisley III, for warning them, along with Knisely’s 10-year-old brother Collin, around 4 a.m. that morning that the home was on fire.

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Knisley’s quick action, which included catching Collin as he jumped out a second-story window and convincing Mary Falkner to jump as well, meant everyone escaped the house relatively unharmed just as the building became completely engulfed in flames.

“I don’t know what would have happened had Charley not panicked that morning,” Mary Falkner said. “I’m so proud of him. We lost everything, but we still have each other thanks to Charley.”

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Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and Fire Department Chief John J. Hohman recognized that bravery during a ceremony on Wednesday in the Historic Courthouse in Towson. Kamenetz and Hohman presented Knisley with an executive citation and hero pin for his courageous actions that morning.

“Not all of our heroes wear uniforms,” Kamenetz said. “There are everyday heroes all around this country, and they live in our neighborhoods and work alongside of us. Charley Knisley is a hero in the truest sense of the word.”

Knisley said the attention he has received in the last couple of weeks, both at school and in the media, has been overwhelming. The 15-year-old Kenwood High freshman was sleeping on the first floor of the house after watching the Orioles baseball game the night before.

Knisley said he woke up when he heard crackling and saw that his blanket was on fire. Mary Falkner added investigators believe a faulty heating system was likely the cause of the blaze and they hope to be able to rebuild in the near future.

The Falkners have since moved in with Charley and his family, which includes his three brothers and his parents, Carrie and Charley Knisley. Carrie is the Falkners’ daughter.

The family has also , which has started a collection for them. The senior center is located just a block from their home on Dorsey Avenue.

“Material things are just that,” said Charley Knisely III, who became emotional recalling the events of April 14. “If you or anyone you know are in a fire, just get out. All of those things can be replaced. Family can never be replaced.”

Baltimore County Fire Department Battalion Chief Kyrle Preis III is convinced Charley Knisley saved lives that morning.

Preis was on the scene of the blaze as firefighters received initial calls that people were trapped in the home. When he saw the fire, he knew that if anyone was still in the home they were either severely injured if not dead. Flames had blown out the home's windows just moments after the family made it outside.

“We were so thankful to arrive on the scene and learn that everyone made it out of the home safely,” Preis said. “We got to the fire quickly, but it took out the house very fast. In my opinion, Charley is a hero and saved lives and deserves all the recognition he is receiving.”


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