Neighbors Help Temple Hills Family Escape House Fire

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

Neighbors in a Temple Hills community rushed to help neighbors still inside their burning home this evening.  Around 8:15 pm, Sunday, February 19, Firefighters and Paramedics were dispatched to the 3200 block of Beaumont Street for a house fire with occupants trapped inside.  Before firefighters arrived two neighbors ran into the burning home and helped a 50ish year old male in removing his father, typically confined to a wheelchair, from the second floor.  Firefighters from the Silver Hill Fire/EMS Station #829 arrived first and reported a 2-story duplex with heavy fire showing from the second floor.  Firefighters initiated an interior attack to extinguish the fire and complete a search of the entire structure to ensure everybody had made it out.  There were 40 firefighters, paramedics and command officers on the scene.  It required about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire which was contained to the second floor.  The quick knockdown prevented fire extension to the attached duplex home.

A third neighbor that appears to have some medical training assisted two injured occupants by administering first aid.  Paramedics evaluated and treated four people on the scene and transported two of those to a Burn Unit.  A male occupant, 50ish years of age, sustained lacerations and smoke inhalation injuries and his father, 70ish years of age, was transported for smoke inhalation injuries.  They were in "good" condition with non-life threatening injuries.

The County Citizen Services Unit and the  American Red Cross are assisting the displaced family of three with temporary shelter.  The occupants of the attached home were not displaced.  The cause of the fire is under investigation and fie loss estimates are still being tabulated.

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Conditions on arrival with heavy fire showing from the second floor. Photographer unknown

Incident Commanders acknowledge that the efforts of the Good Samaritan neighbors prevented more serious injuries to the two male occupants.

Firefighters arrived to heavy fire coming the second floor of the duplex.  (Photo by Battalion Chief William Budd)