For the second time within 2 weeks Prince George’s County Firefighters responded to a Temple Hills condominium complex and fought a 2-alarm fire which forced the evacuation of dozens of residents. On Friday evening, April 9, 2010, firefighters were alerted at about 8:45 PM to a fire on the fourth floor of a 7-story high rise multi-family building at 3107 Good Hope Avenue. Firefighters arrived and found heavy fire coming from a 4th floor condo with high heat and heavy smoke filling the hallways on the upper floors. The buildings fire alarm system did not activate and residents banged on doors to alert other residents of the danger. The fire was extinguished within 20 minutes with no injuries being reported. Fire Investigators continue to investigate the cause of the fire and estimate fire loss at $250,000. Three residents are displaced and receiving assistance from a combination of the Fire/EMS Departments Citizens Services Unit, Red Cross and condo management.
This building has a history of fire code violations and was most recently citied for an inoperable fire alarm system after a 2-alarm fire on March 29, 2010. Follow-up inspections have been performed since then by the Office of the Fire Marshal and the Department of Environmental Resources. Necessary repairs to the building were not completed and as a result a wing of the first floor was declared uninhabitable.
Another citation and correction order were issued after last nights fire due to the buildings fire alarm system being inoperable. Complex management must maintain a constant vigil over the building and call the Fire/EMS Department and check-in every hour. The Office of the Fire Marshal will continue to monitor the code compliance issues and take any necessary action to ensure the violations are corrected.
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