A detached garage and three vehicles parked nearby were destroyed by fire Wednesday night in the Welcome area of Charles County, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
Firefighters were called to the 8000 block of Annapolis Woods Road at approximately 11:09 p.m. Wednesday after the property owner discovered the fire in the detached garage, according to fire officials. The blaze extended to three vehicles parked near the structure before crews brought it under control in about 15 minutes. The garage and its contents were a total loss, with investigators estimating $1,000 in damage to the structure itself and $50,000 in damage to its contents. No injuries were reported, and the single-alarm fire drew a response from 40 firefighters.
The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department and the Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department served as primary responders to the fire, according to the state fire marshal’s office. Investigators have not determined a cause and say the fire remains under investigation. Fire officials did not indicate whether the garage had smoke alarms or other detection equipment installed.
Both responding departments have deep roots in Charles County’s volunteer fire service. The Tenth District Volunteer Fire Department was organized in May 1951 and got its start in a single-bay wooden barn structure near Marbury, at the corner of Bicknell and Marbury Run roads, before growing into the modern department that serves the area today. The Bryans Road Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad was organized a decade later, in September 1962, receiving its state charter that December and placing its first pumper truck into service in early 1963 after members completed a University of Maryland-sponsored firefighting course. Both departments remain part of the Charles County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association, which coordinates mutual aid and training standards among the county’s volunteer fire companies.
Welcome is an unincorporated community in western Charles County, situated along Route 224, an area served primarily by volunteer fire companies given its rural character and lower population density compared with Charles County’s more developed areas around La Plata and Waldorf.
Wednesday’s fire is the second detached garage fire investigated by the state fire marshal’s office in Charles County in recent days, following a blaze that destroyed a garage on La Plata Road on July 24. State fire officials have said detached structures such as garages and outbuildings can pose a heightened fire risk in part because they are typically unoccupied and set apart from a home, allowing a fire to grow before it’s discovered, particularly overnight when residents are asleep.
Anyone with information about the cause of Wednesday’s fire is asked to contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Southern Regional Office at 410-414-3600.
