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Two Incidents from Prince George's
Incident Report: Metro DC Fire/Rescue Wire http://www.hvfd.com

Two incidents from Prince George's County, MD

8 OVERCOME AT LANDOVER FACILITY

Tuesday, December 15, 1998

Landover (MD) - At about 7:45 p.m., an ambulance from the Chapel Oaks station was dispatched to the Giant Food Distribution Center's ice plant in the 6300 block of Sheriff Road for a reported unconscious person. They arrived to find three employees of the facility unconscious and soon began having symptoms themselves and then became unconscious, but not before they were able to call for assistance.

A full Level III hazardous materials assignment was dispatched, the highest HazMat assignment in Prince George's County, bringing more than 50 fire/rescue personnel to the scene, including two advanced life support units and six basic ambulances. A total of two firefighters and six employees were transported to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly suffering from a variety of symptoms.

Late last night, two Giant employees remained in critical condition, hospital officials said. The remaining injured, including fire department personnel, were being held overnight for observation but were in stable condition.

Hazardous Materials crews from the Prince George's County Fire Department and the Maryland Department of the Environment worked late into the night working to isolate the situation and determine the cause. Initial investigations revealed that Freon was involved but a final cause was still being determined last night. Units cleared the scene after midnight.

Units from Chapel Oaks, Kentland, Capitol Heights, Hillside, Boulevard Heights, Tuxedo-Cheverly, Bladensburg, Landover Hills, Cottage City, Seat Pleasant and numerous command, support and hazardous materials personnel.

TWO DEAD IN HEAD-ON CRASH IN CHEVERLY

Monday, December 14, 1998

CHEVERLY (Md) - At about 11:30 p.m., fire/rescue units from the Chapel Oaks station 38 were dispatched to the southbound lanes of Kenilworth Avenue near Eastern Avenue for a reported vehicle accident.

District of Columbia police arrived on the scene first, reporting two people unconscious in a two-vehicle head-on collision. Squad 22, Ambulance 229 and a paramedic unit were alerted to the call.

A vehicle fleeing an traffic stop by D.C. Police in nearby Washington went the wrong way on Kenilworth Avenue into Maryland, colliding with the car head-on, police said.

The suspect was killed in the crash. He was identified as a 31-year-old male from Washington. The passenger in the car that was heading in the proper direction was also killed, she was described as a 48-year-od female from Suitland, Maryland. The driver of that car was listed in serious, but stable condition at a Washington hospital.

Police were continuing to investigate the events that led to the crash.

An off-duty employee of the Arlington County Police Department and volunteer firefighter/EMT, Mellisa Murphy, of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George's County came upon the accident moments after it occurred and was the first to render aid to the victims.

Units operated at the scene for about an hour.

Two Incidents from Prince George's
Incident Report: Metro DC Fire/Rescue Wire http://www.hvfd.com Two incidents from Prince George's County, MD 8 OVERCOME AT LANDOVER FACILITY Tuesday, December 15, 1998 Landover (MD) - At about 7:45 p.m., an ambulance from the Chapel Oaks station was dispatched to the Giant Food Distribution Center's ice plant in the 6300 block of Sheriff Road for a reported unconscious person. They arrived to find three employees of the facility unconscious and soon began having symptoms themselves and then became unconscious, but not before they were able to call for assistance. A full Level III hazardous materials assignment was dispatched, the highest HazMat assignment in Prince George's County, bringing more than 50 fire/rescue personnel to the scene, including two advanced life support units and six basic ambulances. A total of two firefighters and six exployees were transported to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly suffering from a variety of symptoms. Late last night, two Giant employees remained in critical condition, hospital officials said. The remaining injured, including fire department personnel, were being held overnight for observation but were in stable condition. Hazardous Materials crews from the Prince George's County Fire Department and the Maryland Department of the Environment worked late into the night working to isolate the situation and determine the cause. Initial investigations revealed that Freon was involved but a final cause was still being determined last night. Units cleared the scene after midnight. Units from Chapel Oaks, Kentland, Capitol Heights, Hillside, Boulevard Heights, Tuxedo-Cheverly, Bladensburg, Landover Hills, Cottage City, Seat Pleasant and numerous command, support and hazardous materials personnel. --- TWO DEAD IN HEAD-ON CRASH IN CHEVERLY Monday, December 14, 1998 CHEVERLY (Md) - At about 11:30 p.m., fire/rescue units from the Chapel Oaks station 38 were dispatched to the southbound lanes of Kenilworth Avenue near Eastern Avenue for a reported vehicle accident. District of Columbia police arrived on the scene first, reporting two people unconscious in a two-vehicle head-on collision. Squad 22, Ambulance 229 and a paramedic unit were alerted to the call. A vehicle fleeing an traffic stop by D.C. Police in nearby Washington went the wrong way on Kenilworth Avenue into Maryland, colliding with the car head-on, police said. The suspect was killed in the crash. He was identified as a 31-year-old male from Washington. The passenger in the car that was heading in the proper direction was also killed, she was described as a 48-year-od female from Suitland, Maryland. The driver of that car was listed in serious, but stable condition at a Washington hospital. Police were continuing to investigate the events that led to the crash. An off-duty employee of the Arlington County Police Department and volunteer firefighter/EMT, Mellisa Murphy, of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department in Prince George's County came upon the accident moments after it occurred and was the first to render aid to the victims. Units operated at the scene for about an hour. -end- About this list: If you are receiving this email, you subscribed or were subscribed to the Metro DC Fire/Rescue Mailing List. If you wish to be removed from this list, please e-mail reply with "remove" in the subject line. Copyright 1998/CoolWriter Internet/Hyattsville Volunteers Online

Sunday, November 15, 1998 : 2200 hours
Triple Entrapment in Route 1 Crash
Branchville (College Park), MD - PG County
Incident Report: Units from Branchville, Berwyn Heights and PGFD Medic 1 were dispatched to the intersection of Route 1 and Greenbelt Road for a reported vehicle accident with entrapment. Laurel police were on the scecne advising a serious collision. Chief 11 arrived and advised he had three people trapped in two vehicles. A second medic unit and two additional ambulances responded, along with EMS-1 and Chief 14. The extrication of all three victims took about 25 minutes. Three traumas (2 pri-1) were transported to Prince George's Hospital Center's trauma unit. The four-car accident involved two cars that crashed head-on. The PGPD accident reconstruction team was on the scene.
Units responding: E112 E113 A119 MD1 MD92 A79 A129 EMS1 C11 C14 PGPD

8:15 a.m. / 11-12-98
2nd Alarm Apartment Fire in Oxon Hill
Oxon Hill, MD (Prince George's County)
Incident Report: At about 8:15 am, fire/rescue units from the PGFD were dispatched to 1114 Kennebec Street in Oxon Hill for a reported building fire. Units arrived dropping dual lines, reporting heavy fire on the top floor. A second alarm was called for almost immediately, bringing units from throughout Southern Prince George's County, including Hyattsville to the north. The fire was brought under control in about 15 minutes. A civilian 30yo male suffered 2nd degree burns to his foor and was transported ALS to the MedStar burn center in Washington. About 50 firefighters battled the blaze. The cause of the fire was under investigation. All units continued to be held at the time of this update, about an hour into the call.

Thursday, November 5, 1998: 0700 hours
Eight Suffer CO Poisoning in Hyattsville
Hyattsville, PG County, MD
Incident Report: Eight people were transported to area hospitals, six suffering from serious life-threatening levels of carbon monoxide in their bloodstream, fire officials said. Shortly before 7 a.m., a resident from 5810 33rd Place in Hyattsville called the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department directly to report that they had been awakened by their carbon monoxide detector. An engine and ambulance from the station responded, arriving to find moderate levels of CO in the residence. The 40-year-old and 10-year-old female occupants of the house were urged to go to the hospital for check-ups. Blood tests revealed that both had low levels of CO in the blood. They were both treated and released from Washington Adventist Hospital. About an hour later, a child called 9-1-1 from 5812 33rd Place, which is an attached townhouse to 5810, reporting that other members of the family were either sick or unconscious. Firefighters arrived to find a total of six family members suffering classic symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, including nausea, headaches and fatigue. Detector levels indicated a high level of CO in the residence. Initially, a 45-year-old female and 18-year-old male were transported to Washington Adventist Hospital and soon after, a 13-year-old female, a 5-year-old female, a 44-year-old male and 74-year-old male, were also taken despite their initial unwillingness to be transported. At Washington Adventist, doctors determined that all six had levels of carbon monoxide in their bloodstream that were potentially life threatening, even for a healthy individual. All six were then transferred to hyperbaric chambers at either George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C. or Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Gaithersburg. They were all expected to be held overnight for treatment and observation. Washington Gas officials completed an investigation to determine the cause of the leak. They found that the furnace in 5812 was not properly maintained. Among the problems were holes in the piping and a negative draft, officials said. The carbon monoxide migrated to 5810, causing the alarm to be activated there earlier. Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said that the furnace was likely turned up higher than it had been previously due to colder weather in the area. The residents will not be able to use the furnace again until the problem is corrected and it is re-inspected. Units from Hyattsville, Riverdale and the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department responded.

3:45 pm, Wednesday, November 4
Baltimore City Police Chopper Crashes
Baltimore City, MD
Incident Report: A "Foxtrot" police helicopter from the Baltimore City Police Department crashed adjacent to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore this afternoon at about 4 p.m. The cockpit of the small chopper was almost completely destroyed. The pilot and observer were both transported to Shock Trauma, less than a mile away, where they were listed in critical condition. Initial reports indicated that the chopper was involved in a chase with ground units at the time of the crash. The crash comes just hours after Baltimore City police officers buried on of their own, an officer killed a few days ago in a crash with another police vehicle.

0130 hours, Wednesday, November 4th
DOUBLE FATAL HOUSE FIRE IN SEAT PLEASANT
Prince George's County, Maryland
Incident Report: A 37-year-old man and 10-year-old girl were killed in an early morning house fire in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. Shortly before 1:30 a.m., units from Prince George's County were dispatched to 7716 Pacer Court for a reported house fire. Units arrived within minutes and advised a working fire with possible people trapped. Heavy smoke was coming from the second-floor and fire from the ground floor. A female on the scene confirmed that there were two people trapped in the house. Crews from the Kentland station, the first to arrive, advanced a hoseline to knock down the fire and also effected a rescue of the two trapped occupants, fire officials said. Both victims were not breathing and crews immediately started CPR, but both were pronounced dead at Prince George's Hospital a short time later despite the quick rescue. Witnesses said they believed the pair were sleeping when the fire broke out. Residents said the woman -- who lived with her husband and two children in the two-story split-level house -- ran to a neighbor's door after she arrived home to find the fire. "The door bell was ringing real loud, over and over," said teenager Darius Jackson. "She said that her house was on fire and her family was still inside." Jackson ran down to the house with other members of his family, hurling two bricks into a second-floor window and attempting to yell for the trapped victims, he said. Other members of his family called 911 to report the fire. A fourth family member, a 12-year-old boy, escaped on his own but ran back into the house several times attempt to rescue his family, Jackson said, but the boy was pushed back by smoke. The boy suffered lacerations and was taken to the hospital for treatment, along with the mother, who was reportedly shaken but uninjured. Prince George's Fire/EMS Department spokesman Mark Brady said the pair were rescued from the second floor. The fire appeared to have started in a basement family room near a fireplace, which was possibly in use when the blaze broke out. The exact cause of the fire is still being investigated. Police and neighbors said the family rented the house. A hard-wired smoke detector was present in the home on the second floor just outside the sleeping areas, but fire officials were still trying to determine if it activated. None of the witnesses said they heard it operating from the outside. The fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes and contained primarily to the room of origin. Damages were estimated in excess of $80,000. Units from Seat Pleasant, Kentland, Ritchie, Hillside, Capitol Heights and the PGFD responded. The two deaths raised the total number of residential fatal fatalities in Prince George's County to six for the year. In all of the previous fire fatalities this year, a working smoke detector was not present. This morning's fire was also the second double fatal fire of the year. On May 30, a mother and her 3-year-old son died in a house fire on North Huron Drive in Oxon Hill despite valiant rescue efforts of neighbors and firefighters. On July 11, a 90-year-old woman died in a house fire in the 6100 block of "J" Street in Fairmount Heights, which is about three miles from the location of this morning's blaze. Less than two weeks later on July 22 just a few blocks away in the 5900 block of "J" Street, a 43-year-old woman was pulled from a burning house by utility workers working nearby to repair a regional power outage, but later succumbed to her injuries.

Thursday, Oct 29, 1998 : 1530 Hours
DAY CARE VAN OVERTURNS IN CLINTON, INJURING TEN
Clinton, Maryland (PG County)
Incident Report: Two adults and two children were critically injured when a minivan from a day care center overturned in Clinton, Maryland. At least six other children were injured, fire and police officials said. Shortly before 3:30 p.m., fire/rescue units from Clinton and the surrounding area in Prince George's County responded to the accident in the 6300 block of Clinton Way, a residential street in this suburb of Washington, D.C. Units arrived to find the van overturned, immediately requesting additional EMS units and medevac helicoptors from the U.S. Park and Maryland State Police. Fire officials said the van was from a nearby day care center. Initially, the state helicopter transported two children to Children's National Medical Center in Washington suffering from multiple traumatic injuries. One of those children later turned out to be a small-framed female who was then transferred to the MedStar Trauma Unit at Washington Hospital Center. The child, reported to be 7-years-old, was upgraded to serious condition. The adult remained in critical condition tonight, officials said. A 38-year-old female was flown by U.S. Park to Prince George's Hospital Center in Cheverly suffering from multiple traumatic injuries and remained in critical condition tonight. Police and fire officials said one of the adult women was actually a pedestrian who was struck by the van during the course of the accident. However, details were still coming in tonight and it was unclear exactly what happened. Police reported at least one other child was seriously injured, but again details were incomplete. The remaining children - at least six - were transported to nearby Southern Maryland Hospital suffering from minor injuries. All but one was released within a few hours, hospital officials said. The accident reconstruction team from the Prince George's County Police was working to determine the cause of the crash and an official report is not expected until morning. Units from throughout Southern Prince George's County responded to the crash and were on the scene for more than an hour-and-a-half.

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Monday, Oct 19, 1998 - 2200 hours
Second Alarmer in Oxon Hill
Oxon Hill, Prince George's County
Incident Report: At about 2200 hours, fire/rescue units were dispatched to the 6200 block of Oxon Hill Road in Oxon Hill for a reported building fire. Engine 422 arrived and reported possible children trapped with fire showing from an upper floor, immediately requesting a second alarm, bringing more than 75 firefighters and EMS personnel to the scene. Luckily all occupants were able to escape safely prior to fire department arrival. The fire was knocked down in about 15 minutes. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damages were expected to be in excess of $75,000. Units from Oxon Hill, Allentown Road, Forestville, Morningside, Silver Hill, Capitol Heights, Hillside, Seat Pleasant, Boulevard Heights, Tuxedo-Cheverly, Hyattsville, Accokeek, Clinton and District Heights responded.