A message from the Bowie Volunteer Fire Chief in regards to brush fire.

A message from the Bowie Volunteer Fire Chief in regards to brush fire.

Yesterday afternoon at approximately 6:00 pm, units from the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department found a large brush fire, in the wooded area of White Marsh Park. The fire, approximately 2 acres total, was located in a remote wooded area about ¾ of a mile off Annapolis Road. When firefighters made it to the site, there was a large pit, which was 12-15 feet wide by 5-6 feet deep involved, which spread to the adjacent trees and brush. It took approximately 15 Firefighters, 4 hours to extinguish.

A tweet was sent out using the official department twitter account that insinuated that there was a relationship between a meteorite and the cause of fire. This was simply not so and the post should have never been made listing a cause. Cause and determination is made solely by the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

As the Chief of the Bowie Volunteer Fire Department, I apologize for the media attention this has created and have put measures in place to make sure this doesn’t occur again. 

Jonathan D. Howard, Sr.

Chief

Bowie Volunteer Fire Department

The Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department Office of the Fire Marshal dispatched investigators to the scene this morning in an attempt to determine cause and origin of this fire.  At this point the findings are "undetermined."  - Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, PGFD