Fire at Apartment Complex Injures One Firefighter and One Occupant; Displaces Residents
FREDERICK, Md. – Firefighters responded to a building fire Friday afternoon in the 800 block of Gabriel Court in Frederick.
Units were dispatched at approximately 2:39 p.m. for reports of an apartment building fire. Upon arrival, crews found fire showing from the front side of a three-story garden-style apartment complex. A Rapid Intervention Dispatch (RID) team and a second alarm were requested as firefighters began suppression efforts. With wind conditions, fire spread rapidly and could quickly be seen through the roof of the structure.
While ascending in the stairwell of the third floor, a Fire Captain with Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services was struck by the ceiling collapsing in. A Mayday was declared and crew members quickly protected the downed officer and removed him from the structure. He was immediately evaluated by EMS and aviation was requested. The fire officer was flown to Bayview Medical Center where he is being treated for serious, but non-life threatening injuries. Evacuation tones were sounded and crews transitioned to defensive operations due to the intensity of the fire.
A primary search was performed and one juvenile occupant was located and rescued from a second floor unit. The juvenile was transported by ground to a local hospital as precaution, but was uninjured. Multiple pets were also located and retrieved as well.
An hour into the incident, a fire task force was requested to assist on scene and the fire was brought under control at approximately 4:14 p.m. About 75 firefighters responded from Frederick and Washington counties.
The incident ultimately affected two buildings within the apartment complex, impacting a total of 24 apartment units, and displacing all residents.
Firefighters and investigators remain on scene, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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CONTACT: Sarah Campbell
Spokesperson
Frederick County Fire and Rescue Services
443-277-5409
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