Lanham House Fire and Elementary School Trailer Fire

Firefighters were alerted to a Lanham house fire at 10:15 PM, Sunday, September 27, 2009. Upon arrival firefighters located a fire in a basement and had it knocked down within 15 minutes of arrival. Locating and extinguishing the fire proved to be somewhat of a challenge as “Colliers Mansion” conditions existed. High stacks of combustible material/stuff/junk piled throughout the structure hampered the usual quick actions in locating and extinguishing a fire. Despite these conditions the fire was contained and limited to the basement area. The family was displaced and assisted the Fire/EMS Departments Citizens Services Unit and Red Cross with temporary shelter. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation and fire loss is not yet available.


Firefighters in the Suitland area battled an early morning fire in a storage trailer at an elementary school. Firefighters from Boulevard Heights, Silver Hill and District Heights were alerted around 1:30 AM, Monday, September 28, 2009, to a fire at the John Edgar Howard Elementary School, 4400 Shell Street. They arrived to find a trailer storing ceiling tiles fully involved with fire. The trailer was located about 10-feet away from the school building and firefighters were successful in preventing any extension to exposures. It required about 30 minutes to completely extinguish the fire. There were no reported injuries. The cause of the fire is under investigation with an estimated fire loss of $20,000.

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