
3 Alarm Apartment Fire in New Carrollton
At approx 3:40 in the afternoon on Monday, September 17th, 2018, a box alarm was dispatched to the 5300 blk of 85th Ave. Due to supplemental information given in the dispatch, the ladder truck crew began to head in that direction. First arriving units arrived and advised smoke showing from the top floor of a garden style apartment, and started the working fire dispatch. A short time later, the second alarm was sounded, and Truck 12 was alerted as the 1st due truck on the second alarm.
Truck 12 arrived on scene quickly, and immediately split crews. This allowed half of the Truck Company to begin working on a trench cut with Trucks 1, 9, and 38 in an attempt to slow the fire spread. The remainder of the crew worked to get the truck into position in a shopping mall parking lot off of Annapolis Rd to set up for aerial master stream operations. The crews assigned to the roof were quickly overcome with smoke and fire due to high wind, and no fire breaks in the common attic space. Crews subsequently retreated until the fire could be brought under control. Truck 12’s outside crew worked to establish aerial master streams from the A-B corner of the building, cutting down a tree in the process to allow the waterway space to operate.
Chief 12, 12A, and Battalion 4 (Capt 12) also operated on the call, fulfilling various roles throughout the operation as assigned by command. These roles included Side C supervisor, Division supervisors, and safety. Chief 12 also coordinated a heavy water supply relay from Annapolis Rd to the fire ground due to water supply issues in the apartment complex.
Crews regrouped after master stream operations, and began opening up and mopping up. Truck 12’s crew reentered the original fire building, and opened up to expose and extinguish hot spots with the assistance of Tower 19, Engine 11, and Chief 12A as supervisor. Truck 12 operated for 4 hours before returning to service