Home Damaged, Turtle Rescued in Laurel Fire

Update, 5:54 p.m.:

Monday's fire at a residence on Fifth Street is believed to have been started by an unattended candle in a first floor apartment, according to Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady.

In a statement, Brady said that the fire was discovered when a Laurel police officer spotted a column of smoke coming from the home. He reportedly notified his dispatcher and searched the unit, which he found to be unoccupied.

Firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze within 7 minutes, Brady said. Responders were able to rescue one of three box turtles that lived in the unit and return it to its owner.

Two occupants of the four-unit apartment building were displaced, according to Brady. A preliminary estimate put the damage at $25,000.

Original article:

Firefighters and police responded to a structure fire Monday afternoon in the 900 block of Fifth Street in Laurel.

The blaze was concentrated in a bedroom on the first floor of a two-story building, according to Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady. The fire has since been extinguished.

Video from the scene by City of Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer showed thick smoke pouring from the windows of a brick residence.

No injuries were reported, but Piringer tweeted that a pet turtle was rescued from the home.

The fire is believed to have been accidental, Piringer wrote, apparently caused by a candle in a bedroom of the residence.