PGFD Townhouse Fire - father crashes rushing back to his children home alone (UPDATED)

MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930

mebrady@co.pg.md.us     @PGFDPIO

At around 10:45, Veterans Day morning, Prince George’s County Firefighters were alerted to a fire inside of a Kettering/Largo area townhouse.  Firefighters arrived at a 2-story, middle of the row, townhouse in the 100 block of Old Enterprise Road with smoke showing from the front.  A fire was quickly located on the first floor and a search of the interior proved negative for trapped occupants.  The bulk of the fire was quickly extinguished and extension hotspots were located and extinguished as well.

Two pre-teen juveniles were at home when the fire started.  The oldest child heard the smoke alarm emitting the audible warning of a fire.  She investigated and saw a fire and exited the house with her sibling and quickly exited.   We originally reported that the home did not appear to have any working smoke alarms which is incorrect based on the fire investigation report. 

The adult male homeowner and father of the two children had learned of the fire via a cell phone call.  He apparently was rushing home when he rolled his vehicle in the intersection of Central Avenue and Enterprise Road.  He extricated himself from his vehicle that was upside down in a ditch and started running to his children and house.  He managed the half-mile run and was immediately reunited with his children.  Medics evaluated him for possible injuries and ended up transporting him to an area hospital with minor injuries and a medical condition triggered possibly from running to the scene.

The family of 2 adults and 2 children will be displaced.  They will receive some temporary assistance from the County Citizen Services Unit and the American Red Cross.

After completing their work, firefighters went door-to-door checking neighboring townhomes for working smoke alarms.  If no alarm was found or not working, firefighters installed one free of charge.  Two homes had new 10-year smoke alarms installed this morning by firefighters.  Any Prince George’s County resident needing smoke alarm and can not afford to purchase one themselves may call 311 and request one.

UPDATED at 2:00 pm - Fire Investigators determined that a malfunctioning extension cord that ran behind a bookcase in the living room is the cause of the fire.  Fire loss is estimated at $50,000.

A father rushing home to his burning house and children rolled his vehicle, extricated himself,
and ran 1/2 mile to his family. (PGFD Image)