Tag Archives: Maryland

Apartment Building, Residential

Frederick, MD – Laundry fire at apartment building put out with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Three people were displaced last Wednesday evening after a clothes dryer caught fire in an apartment in the Francis Scott Key apartment building, officials said.  Just after 6 p.m., multiple fire departments responded to the apartment at 31 W. Patrick St. in downtown Frederick, and the fire was quickly put out with the help of the building’s sprinkler system.  No injuries were reported, according to Deputy Chief Jerry Dorsey with United Fire Co.  The fourth-floor apartment sustained significant water damage, as well as the two apartments directly below it on the third and second floors, Dorsey said.  The American Red Cross was called to assist the three displaced residents. Dorsey said two of the residents went to stay with family.  Independent Hose Co., Westview Fire Station, Junior Fire Co., Fort Detrick Fire Department and Spring Ridge Fire Station also assisted in putting out the blaze.

Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Easton, MD – Sprinkler system controls fire at senior citizen apartment complex; No injuries reported

The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s office is crediting smoke alarms and a sprinkler system for saving 18 senior citizens during an apartment complex fire.

According to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s office, around 12:15 p.m. on Friday, a wall mounted HVAC unit in the Asbury Senior Apartment Complex failed and caused a fire. The fire escalated to a two alarm fire, causing $15,000 in damage to the structure and $5,000 in damages to the building contests, authorities say.

The fire marshal reports that 18 senior citizens were evacuated from the building during the fire, assisted by the Easton Police Department. The fire marshal says the smoke alarms helped alert the seniors and the sprinklers controlled the fire before 70 firefighters responded to the complex.

While all the seniors escaped, authorities say they have been displaced from the East Dover Street complex due to the damage. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s office says the American Red Cross is assisting the displaced senior citizens. 

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Aberdeen, MD – Arson fire at town home contained to basement area by sprinkler system

Investigators are looking for information from the community about fires that were set at two adjoining townhouses early Friday afternoon.  Firefighters from the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding companies were dispatched at 12:16 p.m. for a dwelling fire after a passerby observed smoke coming from 503 Cool Breeze Circle in the Holly Woods development off of Philadelphia Road, according to a news release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.  When they arrived, firefighters encountered a fire that had been contained to the basement because the fire sprinklers activated, according to the release.  They also found that one or more people had forced their way into the home.

While investigating the fire at 503 Cool Breeze Circle, firefighters noticed that one or more people had also forced their way into 501 Cool Breeze Circle, where they found multiple points of origin of a fire within the home.  With these observations, the Office of the State Fire Marshal was requested to the scene.  Investigators determined the fire within 503 Cool Breeze Circle, which was occupied at the time of the fire by owners Richard and Elizabeth Dubose, was intentionally set and was contained to the basement after fire sprinklers activated.

They also concluded the multiple fires at 501 Cool Breeze Circle, owned by Nicole Tavenier, which was vacant and for sale, were also incendiary. Those fires had self-extinguished and did not produce the required heat to activate the fire sprinkler system.  Twenty-five firefighters assisted in the one-alarm fire in 503 Cool Breeze Circle. No injuries were reported and investigators estimate total damage to both homes at about $25,000.  Anyone living in the community, or who may have been passing by at the time of the fires, is asked to contact the fire marshal’s office with any information about these incidents.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Westminster, MD – Sprinkler system assists firefighters in stopping fire at manufacturing plant; No injuries reported

A fire at the FR Conversions building in the 1200 block of Tech Court in Westminster Tuesday afternoon caused damage, but no injuries were reported to civilians or emergency responders.

Responders were alerted for reports of building fire at 12:28 p.m. When units arrived, it appeared that a piece of equipment on the production line was on fire, said Josh Evans, a spokesman for the Westminster volunteer fire company.

“The sprinkler system did activate and extinguish the bulk of the fire,” he said. “It took firefighters about 10 minutes to extinguish the fire the rest of the way.”

Some remained on scene for about 90 additional minutes to ventilate smoke out of the building. The fire and smoke damage is estimated at $150,000, he said.

Crews from Westminster, Pleasant Valley, Reese, New Windsor, Hampstead, Sykesville, Manchester and Glyndon, in Baltimore County, were called.

It did not appear to those on scene that fire damage extended to other businesses in the building, Evans said.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Worton, MD – Sprinkler system credited with helping to control fire after explosion at manufacturing plant

Investigators are pointing to mechanical failure of production machinery as the cause of Saturday’s industrial building fire at Creafill Fibers Corp. The plant in the 10000-block of Worton Road manufactures cellulose fibers, according to Lori Toevs, controller and director of human resources.

One plant employee was injured as a result of a subsequent dust explosion. The employee was thrown back into a pallet of product, Toevs said in a telephone interview Monday.

The employee was transported by ambulance to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Chestertown, where he was treated and released.

Volunteer firefighters from Kent and Queen Anne’s counties, Kent-Queen Anne’s Rescue Squad and Kent EMS responded.

The fire was brought under control in two hours, according to the fire marshal’s report. Crews were on the scene for about three hours.

There were no reported injuries to firefighters or emergency personnel.

Worton Road, which also is state Route 297, was closed to through traffic for a couple of hours.

The alarm sounded at 3:09 p.m. Saturday after an employee observed a small fire inside a production machine.

The employee powered off the machine. Upon opening a filter cover within the machine to investigate further, he was “flown back” as a result of a pressure wave created by a subsequent dust explosion, according to the fire marshal’s preliminary report.

The employee was able to escape the building and call 911.

Proper activation of the sprinkler system and pressure relief vent system is credited with limiting damage to the 75 foot-by-200 foot steel frame building and its contents.

In-house the building is called the “white line,” Toevs said. That’s where product (cellulose fiber) is made out of natural pulp. Toevs said the operation is 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Manufacturing started at the Worton site in 1995. Currently there are 35 employees, Toevs said.

The “white line” was not operating Monday and Tuesday due to cleanup.

Toevs said on Wednesday that the expectation was to start “producing product” by the end of the week.

She estimated the value of damaged equipment to be $20,000, what she guessed it would cost to replace the explosion caps on filters.

“We’re just starting to assess … we’re not sure what we’ve lost,” Toevs said Monday. “We didn’t lose a lot of finished product but we lost raw materials.”

Also to be calculated is the cost of cleanup.

Firefighters returned to Creafill at about 10 p.m. Sunday for a report of fire in the roof. On arrival they found “a smoke haze in the building,” according to a posting on the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company’s Facebook page.

Firefighters pulled open the metal ceiling and doused smoldering embers, according to the Facebook post.

No injuries were reported.

Deputy Chief State Fire Marshal Matt Stevens said his office was not called out to the incident.

Residential, Townhouse / Condominium

Hampstead, MD – Sprinkler system activated for second-floor townhouse fire

The Office of the State Fire Marshal stated that discarded smoking materials was the cause of an accidental fire in a second-floor bedroom of a townhouse in Hampstead Monday night.

Almost exactly 24 hours after a fire destroyed a home in the same town Sunday, a bedroom fire on the 4800 block of Hillock Lane was called into the Hampstead volunteer fire company at 5:48 p.m. on Oct. 8.

Dispatchers arrived at the scene within minutes, according to the company’s public information officer, Chuck Fusco, and the fire was under control within 20 minutes.

Approximately eight fire companies responded to the fire, the first arriving from Hampstead, Manchester and Baltimore County. When responders saw it was a working fire, additional units — including Reese and Glyndon — were dispatched.

The office estimated total damages to be approximately $50,000, about $30,000 in damages to the structure and $20,000 in loss of contents, according to a notice of investigation from the fire marshal’s office issued Tuesday morning. There were no injuries.

A smoke alarm was present and working and a sprinkler system activated, according to the fire marshal’s office.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Northeast Regional Office at 410-836-4844 or submit tips online at mdosfm.wixsite.com/blog.

Residential, Single Family Home

Finksburg, MD – Single-family house fire quickly controlled with help from sprinkler system; No injuries reported

A fire in the 1900 block of Old Westminster Pike in Finksburg was put under control quickly Friday morning. A call went out at 9:44 a.m for a fire at a single-family dwelling. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, but a $15,000 loss to the structure and contents was estimated, according to a notice of investigation from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.   Reese Volunteer Fire Company was the primary responding agency, and about 40 firefighters were able to control the fire within five minutes, according to the notice. A smoke alarm and sprinkler were both present and activated. The preliminary cause is listed as “accidental due to an electrical event,” according to the notice.

Apartment Building, Residential

Hagerstown, MD – Apartment kitchen fire extinguished by automatic sprinkler system

A sprinkler system extinguished a fire last Monday afternoon in the kitchen of an apartment on Little Elliott Drive, according to Hagerstown Fire Marshal Doug DeHaven.  DeHaven said an occupant in a third-floor apartment at 12817 Little Elliott Drive, off Leitersburg Pike, was attempting to cook food in oil, which overheated and caught fire.  The occupant put the burning pan in a sink and poured water on it, which caused the fire to flare, he said.  A sprinkler system extinguished the blaze by the time firefighters arrived.  Although six occupants in the apartment were able to remain in the unit, six occupants in lower apartments were displaced due to water damage to the electrical system, DeHaven said.  Firefighters were dispatched to the fire at 4:05 p.m.

Apartment Building, Nursing Home/Senior Living, Residential

Hagerstown, MD – Fire in apartment building for the elderly and disabled is extinguished with help from sprinkler system

Fire broke out in a fifth-floor apartment in Potomac Towers on West Baltimore Street Wednesday night, according to a Washington County 911 supervisor.  The fire was reported about 9:45 p.m., and was determined to be caused by food on a stove, the supervisor said.  The fire was extinguished, although firefighters were dealing with a lot of water in the building from a sprinkler system, the supervisor said.  Potomac Towers is a multi-story building that provides housing for elderly and disabled residents.

Uncategorized

Columbia, MD – Sprinkler system contains fire while crews arrive

A small fire drew firefighters to Oakland Mills on Thursday evening, officials said. Crews credited a sprinkler with containing the situation.

At 9:25 p.m., the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services reported its personnel were in the 5700 block of Stevens Forest Road, where smoke was showing.

While a small fire was at the scene, officials said a sprinkler had activated and kept the blaze under control.

This was the second fire in Columbia on Thursday that Howard County firefighters handled.