Two house fires broke out in St. Mary’s County, Maryland on March 17th, 2023. The first fire was reported just prior to midnight on the 30000 block of Gershwin Road in Charlotte Hall. Initially dispatched as a fire alarm, the situation was upgraded to a house fire while units were responding. The fire was located in a two-story single-family home with fire showing on the first and second floors.
Truck 7 and Rescue Squad 7 responded to the scene with 10 volunteers. Tanker 74 and an additional four volunteers were added to the assignment, arriving shortly after. The first companies to arrive positioned themselves on the side of the house and deployed multiple ground ladders while assisting with fire attack and search.
The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes of arrival, with the assignment being scaled back to units from Station 2, Charles Station 2, and Truck 7. The State FM Office is currently investigating the cause of the fire.
In the second incident, Hughesville Volunteers were alerted to an Automatic Fire Alarm (AFA) in Mechanicsville on the same day at 0000 hours. Upon arrival, Engine 22 found a single-family split foyer residence with fire showing from the Alpha, Bravo side, and roof. Tanker 2 arrived shortly after and began nursing Engine 22 with water supply while the crew from Engine 22 advanced an attack line.
The fire rapidly progressed and all firefighters were evacuated from the structure as units began defensive operations. Once the fire was controlled, units resumed interior operations and the fire was extinguished within approximately 90 minutes. Tanker 2, SM Tanker 2, SM Tanker 24, and SM Tanker 74 shuttled water to the fire ground from a nearby hydrant, using approximately 15,000 gallons of water to extinguish the fire. The Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the cause of the fire.
During the fire, Prince George’s County Engine Tanker 836 (Baden) provided a fill-in at a nearby station to cover the first due area.
Both incidents resulted in no casualties. However, both houses sustained significant damage. The brave firefighters from various stations and companies demonstrated exceptional teamwork and professionalism, despite the challenging conditions.