MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930, mebrady@co.pg.md.us
A Hyattsville family has suffered a tragic loss as a result of a house fire this morning. Just before 4:00 am, Wednesday, January 19, 2011, firefighters and paramedics were alerted to a house fire with children trapped inside the burning home. Five family members were able to exit the house, however, two young sisters did not.
Firefighters arrived quickly at the 1 ½ stories, wood frame, single-family home at 4709 40th Avenue and found heavy fire consuming the front portion of the first and second floors. Initial arriving firefighters from Bunker Hill, Bladensburg, Hyattsville and Chillum-Adelphi mounted an aggressive interior attack as well as a search and rescue. While hose lines were advanced into the burning home, teams of firefighters searched quickly for the 2 children reported still inside. Through a collaborative effort of suppression and search the two were soon located.
A 9-year-old female was located on the first floor by firefighters from Bladensburg and a 13-year-old female was found in a second floor bedroom by the crew from Hyattsville. The patients were removed from the home and their conditions were quickly assessed as having no pulse and not breathing. Firefighters started CPR and Paramedics provided advanced pre-hospital care. The pair of sisters were transported to area hospitals in extremely critical condition.
The mother and father; 30ish and 40ish years of age respectively, a 30ish-year-old uncle and two additional siblings; 4-year-old female and a 13-year-old female, had self evacuated prior to the Fire Departments arrival. The 4-year-old and 13-year-old sisters were transported, initially in critical condition, to an area hospital for smoke inhalation. The mother and father were also transported to an area hospital after remaining on the scene for about an hour.
Prince George’s County Acting Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor and County Councilmember Will Campos held a 1:00 pm media briefing in front of the home. During this update, Fire Chief Bashoor provided the following information.
• The 9-year-old-female succumbed to her smoke and burn injuries a short time after arriving at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. She has been identified as Kimberly Hernandez. Her sister has been transferred to a hospital in Baltimore with a hyperbaric chamber. She remains in extremely critical condition.
• The other two siblings have been improving as the day progressed and are in stable condition.
• Fire Investigators state the fire appears to be “accidental” in nature. The exact cause of the fire will not be released until post-autopsy. Fire loss is estimated at $350,000.
• Two firefighters sustained injuries and have been treated and released from their respective hospitals.
• The home was equipped with a hard-wired smoke alarm. The father stated he heard the alarm sound but had already been awakened from the smoke.
- There were 75 career, volunteer and civilian members of the Fire/EMS Department on the scene today. it required 20 minutes to knock down the bulk of the fire.
Any Prince George’s County citizen or resident may request a smoke alarm installed In their home free of charge by calling our Safety First Smoke alarm line at 301-864-SAFE (7233).
A relief effort is being coordinated through the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation. Donations can be directed to the Hyattsville Community Development Corporation, 5004 42nd Ave, Hyattsville MD 20781. This group is also working with others in the community to try to arrange temporary housing for the family.
The 1:00 pm incident update can be viewed here:
The 1:00 pm incident update can be viewed here:
Girl Dies, 3 Sisters Injured in Prince George's House Fire: MyFoxDC.com
Girl Dies, 3 Sisters Injured in Prince George's House Fire: MyFoxDC.com
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