Father died trying to save 4-year-old son from R.I. house fire, friend says

The man who died in a fire with his 4-year-old son on Friday was an influential budget and policy staffer in Washington who had a deep adoration for his children, friends and former colleagues said.

Ed Lorenzen, 47, with his son, Michael. Both were killed in a Rhode Island fire on Friday.

Ed Lorenzen, who was 47 and a longtime veteran of the federal budget process, died in a fire at his Coventry, R.I., home. His son, Michael, was also killed in the blaze. Lorenzen’s other two children — Zacheri, 12, and Penny, 2 — were able to escape the flames.

A longtime family friend said Lorenzen was found with Michael in his arms, a final act of bravery from a father to a son.