Sunday, April 14, 2013
Firefighters in Howard County this week underwent a series of training exercises.
This week was one of training for Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue firefighters and trainees. On April 10, the department’s special operations team did high wire training off the I-70 bridge at the Howard/Baltimore County line. On April 8, trainees participated in a demolition burn at a wooded property off of College Avenue in Ellicott City. The buildings were donated to the fire department by the property owner, according to Battalion Chief Eric Proctor. The photos above are from the Department’s Facebook page and they document the high-wire training and the controlled demolition burn. See related links: Firefighters Burn Houses in Ellicott City for Training
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The suspect is accused of starting a fire outside of an apartment on Contee Road.
Prince George's County officials say a juvenile was arrested and charged with arson Thursday after a doormat was set on fire in South Laurel earlier this week. The teenager, whose name has not been released, is not considered a suspect in the recent series of suspicious fires across the Laurel area, according to a statement from the Prince George's County Fire Department. Authorities said the incident occurred on Tuesday around 10:20 p.m. when a doormat was intentionally set on fire outside of a first floor apartment in the 8700 block of Contee Road. According to the PGFD, Prince George's County Police stopped an individual the next day "believed to have been connected to a vandalism complaint that occurred in the same area of the fires." …
Monday, April 8, 2013
Investigators believe the blaze may have been sparked by a discarded cigarette.
A fire that broke out Monday afternoon at a Maryland City Popeyes caused an estimated $50,000 of damage, Anne Arundel County officials said. According to AAFD spokesman Keith Swindle, firefighters responded to a report of flames at the restarurant (3388 Laurel-Ft. Meade Rd.) around 1 p.m. When units arrived, they found smoke pouring from the building. It took about half an hour for 26 firefighters from Fort Meade and Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George’s counties to bring the blaze under control, Swindle said in a statement. Investigators believe the fire was likely begun by "discarded smoking material" in a bed of mulch next to the building, Swindle added. No injuries were reported in the incident. Popeyes will remain closed for an "…
Monday, March 11, 2013
The blaze—the third at a playground in Laurel in eight days—caused up to $100,000 in damage at Emancipation Community Park.
Laurel's third playground fire in a week destroyed a set of equpiment at Emancipation Community Park Monday afternoon, officials said. The blaze, which began shortly before 4:30 p.m., follows the destruction of a playground at Discovery Community Park on March 3 and the arrest of two juveniles Friday night for allegedly burning part of a playground at Granville Gude Park. According to City of Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer, Laurel firefighters arrived at the park—located at 8th Street and West Street—to find the playground "fully engulfed in flame." It took crews about 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Piringer said. No injuries were reported, but the damage is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000. Laurel police and Prince George's County …
No injuries were reported in the blaze on Fifth Street.
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 …
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Police say a pair of juveniles were taken into custody Friday after Laurel's second playground fire in a week.
Authorities say two juvenile males were arrested Friday night shortly after a playground fire at Granville Gude Park—the second such blaze in Laurel in less than a week. According to City of Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer, neighbors noticed a small fire on a set of playground equipment at the park (8300 Mulberry St.) around 8:30 p.m. Several "people of interest" were seen running away from the scene, Piringer said. After conducting a search of the area, Laurel police located and arrested two boys in connection with the fire. The suspects, both under 16, faces arson charges, according to WJLA. The blaze caused "minor to moderate damage," Piringer said. Footage from WJLA shows noticeable burn marks and melted plastic on the equipment. The …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
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. Register with Laurel Patch to receive email alerts or follow us on Facebook and Twitter. 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. It took about 45 minutes for units from the Laurel Volunteer Fire Department—as well as Prince George's, Howard, Montgomery, and Anne …
Monday, March 4, 2013
Arson is suspected in Sunday's fire, which caused an estimated $75-100,000 in damage.
Update (Monday, March 4): City of Laurel spokesman Pete Piringer said that "plans are already in motion" to repair the damage from Sunday's fire at Discovery Community Park, which left a playground there almost completely destroyed. "We intend to rebuild the damaged playground, with the intent to have it ready by summer," Piringer said. The city is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in setting the fire, which investigators believe was caused by arson. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the Laurel Police Department's tip line at 301-498-7645. Original article (Sunday, March 3): Fire ripped through a set of playground equipment Sunday afternoon at Laurel…
Monday, February 25, 2013
Daijah Price, 11, died Friday night at the Children's National Medical Center.
The fourth victim in the Glenarden blaze that destroyed a home and took the lives of one man and two children has succumbed to her injuries. Daijah Price, 11, died late Friday night while being treated for fire related injuries at the Children's National Medical Center (CNMC), according to Prince George's County Fire Department (PGFD) Spokesperson Mark Brady. Price, her father, and two of her sisters were pulled from their burning Glenarden home early Tuesday morning. Price's pulse was restored at Prince George's Hospital Center Thursday morning before she was transferred to CNMC. Her father and two of her sisters were pronounced dead at the scene, but her mother and a third sister escaped the blaze prior to the arrival of firefighters…
Sunday, February 17, 2013
A Howard County firefighter was injured in a fire on Saturday morning.
A fire early Saturday left one firefighter injured and nine residents displaced after it damaged a house in the 9300 block of Indian Camp in Columbia around 4 a.m. About 60 firefighters were able to control the two-alarm fire about an hour after initially responding, according to a fire official. One firefighter suffered a minor leg injury and was transported to Howard County General Hospital for treatment, but the nine residents were able to escape without injury, according to the fire department. Howard County Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of the fire and performing a damage assessment, according to a fire official.
Red White and Blue
10:51 am on Friday, April 12, 2013
Great job officers!!! all of us have to help find the person or persons that burnt or playgrounds, I would think the police should go to all of the schools in the laurel area for a assembly and stress to the students that one of them could get $10,000.00 for information as to who or whom did it, bet it would be solved pretty quick more ›