On March 17, 2024, at 1931 hours (7:31 pm), Box Alarm 1-1 was sounded for a townhouse fire in the 300 block of Violet Court. Units from Mount Airy, Lisbon, Damascus, New Market, Green Valley, Urbana, and Caroll DEFEMS responded with a report of a fire with a resident trapped in the building. First units, E12 and M18, arrived within five minutes and found a wheelchair bound resident overcome by smoke, wedged in the front door area. With significant effort, the patient was removed to the exterior of the home where medics began providing medical care and transport to a local hospital. Fire crews were then able to enter the home and found a trash can on fire in the kitchen producing copious amounts of smoke. The trash can was removed to the outside and extinguished, and the smoke removed through mechanical ventilation. Damage to the home was limited to smoke throughout the home with no extension of the fire to the structure. A 12-year-old child who was also a resident of the home, and a neighbor who had attempted to assist the resident were checked by medic crews and refused transport or further medical attention. A parent took responsibility for the child.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office responded to ascertain the origin and cause and follow up on the injured resident. The last units returned to service at 2114 hours (9:14 pm)
Further information will be updated when received from the SFMO on the resident's condition, or the origin and cause of the fire.