A Maryland millionaire was charged in the fiery death of a man he hired to dig tunnels under his home because he feared a nuclear strike by North Korea, according to reports.

Daniel Beckwitt, 27, appeared in court Thursday to face charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Askia Khafra, Fox5DC reported.

The 21-year-old died from smoke inhalation and thermal injuries suffered in a Sept. 10 blaze at Beckwitt’s Bethesda home, where he was found in the basement in an elaborate tunnel system.

Authorities said Beckwitt blindfolded Khafra every day before he ventured into the subterranean hideout because he did not want him to know where he was working.

Beckwitt contends that the young laborer’s death was accidental, but prosecutors argued that he was unable to escape the fire because he was unfamiliar with the tunnels’ layout as a result of the blindfolds.

The network of tunnels was 20 feet deep and branched out 200 feet, WTOP reported, citing charging documents. They had been powered by a “daisy chain” of extension cords, which created the fire hazard.

Prosecutors said that hours before the fire, Khafra sent a text from the tunnels to Beckwitt — using an underground Wi-Fi network — to say he smelled smoke.

Beckwitt flipped a circuit breaker twice to try to fix the problem, proving he was aware of a potentially serious issue, prosecutors said.

Defense attorney Robert Bonsib said the state has not made public what fire investigators found sparked the fire.

Beckwitt, who made his millions in the tech industry, tried to save the victim, Bonsib said, but heavy fumes prevented a rescue. He added that his client also called 911 and had to be hospitalized himself.

Bonsib described Beckwitt’s project as a do-it-yourself version of Cold War-era bomb shelters, according to WTOP.

“It was his project to create a secure bunker because of his concern for international threats, including from North Korea,” he said.

“This is a tragic accident involving the death of a young man who was a full participant in these activities, fully aware of what was going on, fully aware of what happened,” Bonsib added.

When asked by a reporter whether Khafra was being held against his will in the tunnels, Bonsib answered: “Hell no.”