MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
Prince
George's County Fire Investigators continue to document the scene of a fire
where 2 occupants sustained critical burn injuries and tragically, the youngest
victim died.
Just
after 4:30 pm, Wednesday, August 8, firefighters were alerted to a house fire
in the 6300 block of Carrington Court in Capitol Heights. 911 callers advised
dispatchers they believed people were trapped in the burning home.
Firefighters
arrived within 4 minutes to find a 2-story brick duplex with heavy fire on the
first floor with extension into the top floor. Firefighters also encountered a
24-year-old male in the front yard with serious burns to his upper body. He
told firefighters the approximate location of two occupants still inside the
house. Trapped upstairs were his 5-year-old daughter and 15-year-old brother.
One
team of firefighters advanced hose lines into the burning structure as another
team of firefighters went to the second floor to search for the occupants.
Firefighters from Kentland and Chapel Oaks each located a victim on the top
floor and removed them out of a rear window using ground ladders that other
firefighters had set up.
A
5-year-old female and a 15-year-old male were handed over to paramedics that
quickly assessed the patients as having severe burn injuries, were not
breathing and had no pulse.
As
firefighters continued to battle the fire another group of firefighter/medics
worked feverishly to save the victims. Pre-hospital advanced life support
measures were immediately initiated and the two youths were transported to a
nearby hospital with CPR in progress. The 24-year-old male was
transported to a Burn Unit in Washington DC suffering 3rd degree burns to about
50% of his body. The adult males mother, a 52-year-old female, came home shortly
after firefighters arrival. She was transported suffering from emotional
distress.
Incident
Commanders had requested additional Fire and EMS resources to the scene during
the height of the incident. A total of 60 firefighters and paramedics operated
on the scene. It required 20 to 30 minutes to extinguish the fire.
The
cause of the fire remains under investigation.
At
around 8:00 pm, tragically, the 5-year-old female succumbed to her injuries.
The
15-year-old male has regained a pulse and stabilized enough to relocate him to
the Burn Unit at the Washington Hospital Center. He remains in critical
condition.
The
identity of the deceased is being withheld pending extended family
notification.
The
home was equipped with two working smoke alarms. Firefighters will return to the Capitol
Heights community on Thursday, August 9, at 10:00 am. Personnel will meet at Carrington Court and
go door-to-door speaking with residents about the incident, checking smoke
alarms and passing out fire safety literature.
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