Brief video clip shot by neighbor.
For the second time in two days the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department sounded three-alarms for a garden-apartment building fire. Saturday evening’s fire was at 538 Wilson Bridge Drive off of Route 210, just south of the Capital Beltway in Oxon Hill.
The fire was reported around 6:00 PM. There were no reports of injuries.
The cause of the fire has not been released.
On Thursday, PGFD handled a three-alarm fire in Camp Springs at a complex near Andrews Air Force Base. Click here for the video.
UPDATE – PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady provided the following info in a Sunday morning press release:
Firefighters from Oxon Hill and surrounding communities battled a fire that damaged two apartment buildings. On Saturday, December 26, 2009, at about 5:45 PM, Fire/EMS units responded to 538 Wilson Bridge Drive, a 3-story garden style apartment building, and arrived to find heavy fire on the second floor extending to the top floor and roof. A 2ND Alarm was sounded bringing a total of 60 firefighters and paramedics to the scene. A 3RD Alarm brought additional Fire/EMS units into the area as they staged nearby in the event they were needed. The fire extended through the upper floor and roof of 538 Wilson Bridge Drive then extended into an attached apartment building at 540 Wilson Bridge Drive.
Incident commanders declared the fire under control at 7:30 PM. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported. Fire Investigators determined that the fire was started accidentally and attributed to an unattended candle. Fire loss is estimated at $1.5 million.
The Fire/EMS Department’s Citizen Services Unit and the American Red Cross assisted 23 families that were displaced from their apartments. The displaced residents, 56 adults and 11 children, were provided temporary shelter in area hotels.
Also on STATter911 …
- Early video: PGFD in action during a house fire in Glenn Dale, MD. – April 15, 2013
- UPDATED – Fireground audio/911 call: Interview with safety officer who shared air & made rescue at Prince George’s County, MD apartment fire. – August 31, 2012
- Arrival video: House fire in Calverton, MD. PGFD in action from 1991. Plus an apartment fire in Oxon Hill. – February 25, 2013
- UPDATED: Suspicious fire in Prince George’s County, MD leaves two dead. One jumped to death. Other dead in apartment. – January 13, 2013
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i dont recall hearing that music when i was there last night..lol..good job by all
i live right next to the buliding it was bad my heart go out to all that lost your homes. in my 34 yrs i have not seen anything like it. pgfd did a great job.
Aren’t these garden apartments provided with sprinklers?
No only new buildings and homes are required to have sprinklers. These biuldings were probably built in the 1960s and have open attics three buildings long any draft stops are unreliable
Just another example of why PG County shouldn’t skimp on it’s already “bare-bones” staffing! The county was crippled during this fire and relied on every other county surrounding it to backfill its stations. Good job to all involved in bringing this fire under control!!