Tag Archives: Maryland

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Chesapeake Beach, MD – Sprinkler system activated for kitchen fire at townhouse; No injuries reported

Leave a comment

A fire suppression system is being credited with halting a kitchen fire before it could spread through a Chesapeake Beach townhouse Sunday afternoon, May 18, 2025.

Crews responded to the scene following a report of smoke coming from a residence in the 2600 block of Deerfield Lane. Units from multiple jurisdictions, including North Beach, Dunkirk, Huntingtown, Prince Frederick, and Anne Arundel County, responded to the scene.

Units first to arrive reported visible smoke from a two-story townhouse.

Firefighters quickly located a kitchen fire that had already been contained by a single sprinkler head from the home’s automatic fire suppression system. Crews confirmed the fire was extinguished, shut off the sprinkler system, and ventilated the residual smoke.

Officials said the fire damage was limited to the kitchen. No injuries were reported, and the occupants were not home at the time of the fire.

Apartment Building, Residential

North Bethesda, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire on fifth floor apartment unit; No injuries reported

Several families are likely to be displaced after a Tuesday morning fire at Arrowwood Apartments in North Bethesda, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) spokesperson Pete Piringer.

According to radio transmissions, a report of a fire on the fifth floor of an apartment building at 5410 McGrath Blvd. came in at roughly 10:02 a.m. The fire activated sprinklers and fire alarms and residents of the building were evacuated.

Responding MCFRS crews reported there was light smoke throughout the fifth floor at roughly 10:15 a.m. but the fire had been extinguished by sprinklers. According to transmissions, a small pile of combustibles caught fire.

According to Piringer, the fire was controlled and extinguished by the sprinkler system by roughly 10:40 a.m.

Piringer said there were no injuries, but there was some water damage in the building.

Auto Dealership, Retail

Silver Spring, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire at car dealership; No injuries reported

A fire broke out at the DARCARS Toyota and Lexus Dealership in Silver Spring on Nov. 12, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) Chief Public Information Officer Pete Piringer.

MCFRS firefighters responded to a call around 4 a.m. about a fire on the 12000 block on Cherry Hill Road near Prosperity Drive. Firefighters located the fire on the DARCARS service department’s second floor, according to Piringer’s X post.

Piringer said the automatic fire alarm and sprinkler system were activated and no injuries were reported.

A computer electronic component mounted on the wall in the service bay is the probable cause of the electric fire, according to Piringer.

The damages were estimated at $20,000.

Apartment Building, Residential

Forest Hill, MD – Sprinkler system extinguishes fire at apartment complex

Yesterday morning, volunteer firefighters from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and additional support from surrounding companies responded to a reported apartment fire in the Forest Hill, Maryland neighborhood. According to a post shared by Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS on social media, the fire occurred in the 2000 block of Rock Spring Road. Thankfully, the fire was controlled and extinguished promptly due to the building’s fire sprinkler system.

This is the second fire of the day successfully controlled by sprinklers in the area. The Harford Co., MD Fire & EMS X account stated, “Fire sprinklers knocked down the fire,” emphasizing their importance in preventing damage and saving lives.

Details about the damage or injuries from the fire haven’t been released, but volunteer firefighters responded quickly, and the situation was under control. As more information becomes available, fire officials may share more about the cause of the fire and how well the response worked.

Primary / Secondary School, School / University

Salisbury, MD – Sprinkler system activated for accidental fire at middle school

Salisbury Fire officials were called to Wicomico Middle School early Saturday morning for an automatic fire alarm. Officials say there was a smoke alarm that was activated and a sprinkler system which activated as well.

State Fire Marshal investigation found the fire was accidental and began in a janitorial closet after the spontaneous combustion of rags used for cleaning.

Damage was estimated at about $2000.

Storage / Warehouse, Warehouse

Worton, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire at warehouse; No injuries reported

It took three hours to investigate, then clear smoke and related combustion elements from a one story commercial warehouse at Crea Fill Fibers Corporation, 10200 Worton Road on July 4.

According to initial reports the fire was due to a malfunction within the shredder, that activated the fire alarm initiating a fire department response. The sprinkler system was activated and controlled within the warehouse until the fire department arrived.

However, because the company was closed for the holiday, the cause of the incident was deemed suspicious, causing a representative from the fire marshal’s office to arrive.

It’s still under investigation according to the fire marshal’s report.

Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Chief 6 Brad Rossum was first to arrive at 10:16 p.m. He noticed smoke and water from one of the processing buildings. He then called for mutual aid companies to investigate the scene.

Using a special key they only use for emergency situations, (recorded to prevent any mishandling) they opened the door and discovered it was so smoky there was zero visibility. Officials discovered that the water was coming from the sprinkler system, which was a series of sprinkler heads.

Using a thermal imaging camera, officials discovered no fire within the smoke at the industrial shredder.

The sprinkler system did its job, preventing $60,000 of damage.

The challenge for officials was removing the smoke, carbon monoxide and other elements from a tall building. They employed high-velocity fans while wearing their Self-Contained Breathing Apparatuses, and it took them three hours to compete the job.

A representative from the Maryland Fire Marshal’s Office is performing an Origin and Cause investigation.

While Chestertown was committed to the incident, Millington Community Fire Company stood by at their station against the possibility of another incident in the Chestertown district.

There were no injuries reported.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Forest Hill, MD – Sprinkler system activated for microwave fire in condominium

A microwave started a fire at a condominium building in Harford County, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal.

A neighbor of the occupant heard a smoke alarm and later discovered the occupant inside her apartment with heavy smoke, fire officials said. Another neighbor assisted her out of the apartment.

Neighbors exited their units after the fire alarm sounded, according to fire officials. One fire sprinkler activated and contained the fire within and around the microwave in the unit with minimal fire damage.

Water damage affected two units, including the unit of origin and the unit directly below, fire officials said.

Acting State Fire Marshal Jason M. Mowbray stated, “Residential fire sprinklers are proven to save lives, prevent injuries, and protect property and valuables. This is yet another example of how the presence of an automatic fire sprinkler system protected occupants and prevented substantial fire damage to residential property.”

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Bowie, MD – Sprinkler system activated for fire at condo building; No injuries reported

Four residents and multiple dogs had to be rescued from a burning condo building in Prince George’s County on Monday afternoon.

Prince George’s County Fire and EMS first tweeted about the fire around 1:40 p.m. The fire burned through a condo building in the 15600 block of Everglade Lane in Bowie.

The fire department responded just after 1 p.m. Heavy flames were showing through a second and third floor balcony and spread to the roof.

Percy Jacobs was working on a friends apartment across the street when it happened.

“I heard a loud sound, it sounded like a gunshot,” Jacobs said. “I looked out the window and saw a man leaving. Then I saw the flames on the first floor porch, then spread to second floor, then to the third floor.”

Jacobs said he called 911, then noticed people still inside the building.

“I asked 911, ‘Should I go over there? Should I knock on doors and get people out?’ They said, ‘No, stay where you are,'” he said.

“But that is hard. It’s hard to not help when lives are in danger.”

Fire crews got to the scene within minutes.

Four residents and multiple dogs had to be rescued from two different balconies, but no injuries have been reported.

The American Red Cross is on scene to help the affected residents. As many as 12 families were seeking assistance from the Red Cross. It’s not clear if there were more people displaced who didn’t need their help.

The building was equipped with a sprinkler system.

Eighty firefighters were involved in putting out the blaze.

No other details have been released.

Residential, Single Family Home

California, MD – Sprinkler system contains fire in 2-story single family residence

On Friday, January 19, 2024, at approximately 11:05 a.m., firefighters from Bay District, NAS Patuxent River, and Hollywood responded to the 43000 block of Sweetbay Street in California, for the reported basement fire in a residence.

Crews arrived on the scene to find a 2-story single-family residence with smoke coming from the front door.

Firefighters entered and located fire in a utility room, which was being contained by a sprinkler system. Personnel extinguished the remaining fire and secured utilities to the residence and found no extensions.

Preliminary investigation by firefighters suggest that the fire was caused by a Lithium-Ion battery that was in the process of charging.

No injuries were reported and the occupants were not displaced by the fire.

This is the 2nd fire this month for our St. Mary’s County firefighters responding to a house fire caused by a charging Lithium Ion battery.