Raw video from Prince George's County second alarm. Defensive operations ordered at Greenbelt townhouse complex as decks collapsed.
Click here for a slideshow of images from the fire in Greenbelt
Firefighters remained on the scene Thursday morning following a fire at a Greenbelt, Maryland townhouse complex. The first 911 call reporting the fire in the 7800 block of Jacobs Drive came in around 1:45 AM.
Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Engine 835 went on the scene reporting heavy fire from the rear of a townhouse. In a press release PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady wrote “the fire involved a row of five, 2-story, with terrace level, townhomes of lightweight construction and non-sprinklered.”
Brady says an aggressive interior attack was mounted trying to cut off the spread of the fire. A task force and second alarm brought additional firefighters and equipment to the scene. Brady added:
The fire continued to grow in intensity extending both horizontally and vertically. Wooden decks attached to the rear of the structures collapsed. Fire Incident Commanders understood the deck collapse to be an indication of a weakening structural integrity and ordered all firefighters to evacuate the structure and take a defensive position on the exterior. Within 10 minutes of ensuring the safety of all personnel a significant collapse occurred in the second townhouse. Firefighters continued to work on extinguishing the fire from the safety of the exterior and had the fire knocked down in about 1 hour.
Fire investigators say the majority of the damage was to 3 of the 5 townhomes in the row and estimate the loss to be $600,000.
At least 20 people, including 2 infants, are displaced, but there were no injuries to any of the residents. One firefighter suffered a minor knee injury but didn’t need immediate treatment.
