| Box Alarm 8-9. At 2044 hrs. on Tuesday, January 7, 2014; Stations 8, 10, 5, 6, FC 9 and Tower 3, were dispatched for an 'Electrical Fire in a Basement' at 4380 Bark Hill Road. First arriving Engine 81 found a 2 story, single family, wood frame house with nothing evident from Side 'A', investigating. Captain 8 (Harris) assumed "Bark Hill Command" and quickly determined that the homeowner had extinguished the fire in an electrical fuse box with a fire extinguisher from his work truck, prior to the arrival of emergency units. "Bark Hill Command" placed the 'Box Assignment' in-service and the crew from Engine 81 completed overhaul and final extinguishment in the electrical fuse box. The Red Cross was notified that assistance would be needed since there would be no heat or electricity during one of the coldest days ever recording in the region. Potomac Edison also responded to cut power to the house.
Then, at 1843 hrs. today, 'Structure Alarm 8-9' was dispatched for a 'Chimney Fire' at the same address, bringing Stations 8, 10 and Ladder 5 to the scene. Engine 81, Rescue Squad 8 and Captain 8 arrived simultaneously and Captain 8 once again established "Bark Hill Command"; reporting a 'working chimney fire'.
Crews extinguished the fire in the fireplace with a pressurized water fire extinguisher, which also extinguished the fire in the chimney. The interior crews also searched for signs of extension in the walls with a thermal imaging camera. No extension was found. Ladder 5 was tasked with laddering the roof so that a 'chimney chain' could be lowered into the flue to remove and clear any additional burning debris from the chimney. Interior crews removed all burning materials from the fireplace and "damper" with no apparent damage to the chimney or structure. The occupants were advised, as is standard practice, to contact a certified chimney professional to verify that no damage exists before using the fireplace and chimney again.
Units cleared the scene at 2005 hrs.
Units on the first incident (1/7/14) were: E-81, E/T-82, RS-8, M-89, Chief 8-1 (Union Bridge); E-101, B-105 (New Windsor); E-51, E/T-54, L-5 (Taneytown); FC E/T-94, Ta-9 (New Midway); E-61 (Pleasant Valley); TW-3 (Westminster), Potomac Edison, Red Cross. |
