Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Two-Alarm Fire Rips Through Laurel Fuel Oil Building

One firefighter received a minor injury from the blaze, which caused up to $1 million of damage.

A two-alarm fire swept through the Laurel Fuel Oil building Wednesday night, causing extensive damage and sending clouds of smoke across downtown Laurel.

The blaze began shortly before 7 p.m. in the company's two-story facility (101 Main St.) near the Laurel MARC station.

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An alarm brought police and firefighters to the scene, where they encountered "heavy fire" showing from the garage at the rear of the building, Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer said.

Three oil tanker trucks housed in the structure also caught on fire.

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It took about 45 minutes for units from the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department—as well as Prince George's, Howard, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel counties—to extinguish the blaze, Piringer said.

"First arriving firefighters attempted an initial interior attack on the fire and then evacuated the building to regroup," Prince George's Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said in a statement. "The bulk of the fire was knocked down from the exterior using master stream devices before returning to an interior attack."

Brady said one firefighter suffered a minor shoulder injury and was treated on scene. About 100 emergency personnel responded to the call, according to Piringer.

Authorities estimated the damage at $750,000 to $1 million. The cause has not yet been determined, but fire officials are set to return Thursday morning to continue their investigation.

PGFD chief Marc Bashoor, who was on scene Wednesday night, tweeted that no hazardous materials were involved in the fire.

U.S. Route 1 and Main Street in downtown Laurel were shut down for several hours after the fire but have since reopened.

Laurel Fuel Oil has been owned and operated by the Kluckhuhn family since 1961. It has a staff of 16 employees, according to the company's website.

Patch will have more information as it becomes available. Above, view images and video from the scene courtesy of Laurel Mayor Craig Moe, Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer, and Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady.


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