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Video: MFRI & TRX Systems demonstrate tracking system.

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The Maryland Fire & Rescue Institute has been working with TRX Systems in the development of the Sentrix Tracking Unit. Science Nation reporter Miles O'Brien (formerly of CNN) takes a look at this system, which promises to operate deep inside a building where GPS will not work.

Here's an excerpt from the story:

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), electrical engineer (and CEO Carol) Politi and her team at TRX Systems are developing a portable device called the Sentrix Tracking Unit. It straps on like a belt and consists of a suite of sensors. "The sensors include accelerometers and gyroscopes. Those are sensors similar to what you have in your Wii for example–pressure sensors ranging sensors. It allows us to create a picture of what a user has done," says Politi.

"The sensors monitor the movement of the user," explains Ben Funk, vice president of Engineering at TRX. "So when the user moves forward or backwards, left or right, it determines how far a person moved in each direction."

Early raw video: Two-alarm house fire in Beltsville, Maryland.

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Video from Captain Greg Zalenski, Station 812 (College Park VFD). Evacuation order comes at about 6:30 in the video.

Press release from PGFD's Mark Brady:

Firefighters from Beltsville and surrounding stations were alerted to a house fire in the 4100 block of Ulster Road this morning just before 10:00 am.

Fire/EMS units arrived within minutes and encountered heavy fire coming from the 2-story single family home with an attached garage. A precautionary 2nd Alarm was sounded as fire consumed the garage and had extended into the second floor and roof area.

As firefighters were advancing hose lines and searching for any occupants inside the home, a roof collapse appeared imminent and all personnel were ordered to evacuate the structure. All firefighters self evacuated safely and the firefight continued from the safety of the exterior. Once the bulk of the fire had been knocked down, firefighters re-entered the structure to complete searches and extinguish the remainder of the fire. With the exception of a family pet dog, no one was home when firefighters arrived.

It required about 40 minutes to extinguish the bulk of the fire. There were 60 firefighter/medics, command officers and support personnel that operated on the scene of this incident.

The cause of the fire is under investigation and estimated fire loss is still being tabulated. An adult male neighbor sustained minor lacerations to his arm when he broke the window out of a rear door to allow a dog to escape from the burning home. The dog, “Spencer,” a nearly 12 year old male, was soon reunited with the homeowner and did not appear to have suffered any injury. Paramedics tended to the injured neighbor on the scene, however, did not go to the hospital. No other civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.

The well-known Kevin Kennedy family of Beltsville will be displaced and are making their own arrangements for temporary housing.

Raw video: House burns in College Park, Maryland. Snow keeps firefighters busy.

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Slideshow from WUSA9.com

Read PGFD press release on four house fires

The storm that hit the Washington, DC area yesterday kept fire departments busy. Roads were clogged with abandoned cars during what WTOP Radio reporter Bob Marbourg called an “unprecedented” evening rush hour Wednesday. Emergency crews were having difficulty not just with the snow and ice, but getting around the traffic and stalled vehicles. Wires down and power failures added to the work load for fire and EMS. In addition, there were a number of fires in homes without electricity.

The Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department had four such house fires between 10:30 last night and 5:30 this morning. In one, a fire at a Glenn Dale home, firefighters rescued a woman from a second floor window. 

The video on this page is from a house fire in College Park. Here are details from a press release by PGFD’s Chief Spokesman Mark Brady:

At about 5:30 am, firefighters from the College Park area were alerted to a house fire in the 5000 block of Pierce Avenue.  Fire/EMS units arrived quickly to find a 1-story single family home with fire showing from the basement.  An interior attack by firefighters on the fire was in progress when a partial collapse of the first floor occurred.  Personnel immediately evacuated the structure and were accounted for and deemed OK by incident commanders.  An exterior attack continued on the fire which had now extended up to the first floor.  The family was alerted to the basement fire by a working smoke alarm.  All occupants escaped the home safely prior to the fire departments arrival.  The cause of the fire is attributed to a fireplace in the basement,  This home was without power due to the winter storm on Wednesday.  Fire loss is estimated at $140,000. 

More details from PGFD on water problems at University Park house fire. Department will also look at why there were eight injuries.

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9NEWS NOW 5:00 PM story.

Click here for Tom Yeatman’s raw video and earlier coverage of the fire

Both the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) and a Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department spokesman verify a hydrant closest to a burning University Park home was providing plenty of water hours after the fire was extinguished. But shortly after the report of  the fire late Sunday night a pumper was unable to relay water from that plug on Partridge Place.

A Bill McNeel picture from the fire last night in University Park that injured eight firefighters.

A Bill McNeel picture from the fire last night in University Park that injured eight firefighters.

Engine 801 (Hyattsville) was on that hydrant attempting to pump the supply line for Engine 812 (College Park). Evacuation tones were sounded after the tanks on both rigs ran dry and no water could be relayed from the hydrant. PGFD Chief Spokesman Mark Brady says the pump operator from Hyattsville tried three different times to get water. Brady believes five to seven minutes were lost until the water began flowing on the third attempt.

According to Brady, a secondary water supply was being set up at about the same time. Once water flowed again crews were allowed back in the home.

Brady says firefighters were again pulled from the home on the arrival of Major Jerry Lamoria who took over command from Battalion Chief 804. According to Brady, Lamoria ordered the evacuation for accountability and to “organize a coordinated deployment”.

Along the way eight firefighters were hurt, all with relatively minor injuries. Two received burns and the rest were from strains, sprains, bruises and exhaustion. Brady says PGFD will look closer at why there were so many injuries on this one fire.

Officials are also trying to better understand why there was difficulty getting water. Brady says they certainly would like to have those five to seven minutes back when there was no water, but due to the large amount of fire on arrival he doesn’t believe it would have significantly changed the outcome.

Eight firefighers hurt at Prince George’s County, Maryland house fire. Evac tones sounded twice.

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Raw video of the fire from photographer Tom Yeatman.

Photo by PGFD's Mark Brady. Click image for slideshow from the fire.

Photo by PGFD's Mark Brady. Click image for slideshow from the fire.

Click here for slideshow from the fire put together by WUSA9.com’s Emily Cyr 

Eight firefighters were hurt during a fire late Sunday night  in a large single-family home in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The home that burned is at 7016 Partridge Place in University Park. The injuries are all believed to be minor.

Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department Chief Spokesman Mark Brady says the initial crews found fire on the first and second floors. According to a press release from Brady, ”Using the water the engines carry on-board, firefighters were able to mount a brief aggressive interior attack on the well advanced fire until forced to withdraw to wait for an adequate water supply to be established. Interior operations commenced again after the primary and secondary water supplies were in place.”

According to Brady the evacuation tones were later  sounded a second time for accountability and to “organize a coordinated deployment”.

Photo courtesy of Bill McNeel.

Photo courtesy of Bill McNeel.

The fire could be seen from high-rise buildings at the University of Maryland about a mile away prompting calls to 911. Brady reports it took about an hour to knock down the fire.

Smoke alarms alerted the family of five to the fire and they escaped without harm.

Brady indicates the eight firefighters taken to area hospital suffered “burns, sprains, lacerations and exhaustion”.

Damage is estimated at $700,000.