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Firefighters and emergency medical personnel worked together to contain an intense house fire and pull three victims from a burning house in Prince George's County, Md. late Monday.
A 13-year-old girl suffering from burns and smoke inhalation was revived at an area hospital. Two other victims, a mother and son, died. A fourth victim, a child who jumped from a window prior to the fire department's arrival, was in critical condition early Tuesday.
At about 11:41 p.m., units from Chillum, Chillum-Adelphi, Hyattsville, Takoma Park (Montgomery County) and Cottage City were alerted to 6923 17th Avenue for a reported house fire with reported people trapped.
Engine 441 (Chillum) arrived within minutes reporting 'Level I Ops' with fire on the first and second floor of a single family dwelling.
Crews advanced an attack line through the front door, following shortly thereafter by additional backup lines to the first and second floor by crews from Hyattsville and Takoma Park off Engine 441.
Firefighters from Engine 441, Truck 34 (Chillum-Adelphi), Engine 911 (Takoma Park) and Engines 11 and 12 (Hyattsville) worked in concert on a systematic search and rescue operation due to confirmed reports of at least three people still trapped inside, including two children.
Firefighters from Hyattsville raised a ground ladder off Engine 441 to a second floor bedroom where a family member reported the victims likely where. Crews from Takoma Park were the first to ascend the ladder.
Crews from Engine 911 found the first two child victims, and handed both out the second floor window to firefighters from Hyattsville on the ladder. The third victim, the mother, was then found near the bed, possibly under a mattress, by a firefighter from Hyattsville. The door to the bedroom had been closed, officials said.
All three victims were immediately taken to awaiting emergency medical crews. Crews from Rescue Squad 2 (Cottage City) assisted with the resuscitation effort. CPR was being performed on each of the victims. Truck 91, special called, arrived and assisted the units on the scene.
A 13-year-old girl was transported to Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park where she was revived thanks to the combined efforts of EMS personnel on the scene and medical intervention at the hospital. She was later taken to MedStar in Washington for further treatment.
The 42-year-old mother was transported to Washington Adventist Hospital by Ambulance 18 and paramedics, where she was later pronounced dead.
An eight-year-old boy was transported by ground to Children's National Medical Center in Washington. He was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.
A fourth victim, a 10-year-old male, reportedly jumped from the second floor window before the first fire department units arrived. He was rushed by a neighbor to an area hospital and was listed in critical condition early Tuesday.
The first attack line by Engine 441 (led by Captain Victor Ferrara) utilized foam, which helped knock the fire down quickly, greatly assisting in the rapid rescue of the victims.
Tower 7 (Riverdale) was later dispatched to the scene to assist in the overhaul and investigation. Ambulances 39 (Mount Rainier) and Medics 12 and 90 were involved in the emergency medical efforts on the scene and subsequent transport. Ambulance 139 (Riverdale Heights) and Breathing Air 94 also stood by at the scene.
Division Chief 6, Mike Hughes (Branchville), had the command. Multiple command officers, investigators and support staff were on the scene.
The fire was ruled knocked down by command entirely within about 10 minutes. One firefighter suffered a minor injury and was taken to an area hospital. The cause of the fire remained under investigatgion.
All of the firefighters working this incident from all of the companies did an excellent job working together to contain the blaze and conduct a rapid search and rescue operation that increased the chances of survival of all three trapped victims.
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