On Thursday, January 14, 2021, at approximately 11:45 p.m., firefighters from Bay District, Ridge, NAS Patuxent River, Hollywood, and Seventh District responded to 19446 Virginia Way in Lexington Park, for the reported house on fire.
Crews arrived on the scene to find a two-story wood framed single family residence with fire showing from the first and second floor.
Incident command Fire Chief 3 requested additional tankers bringing firefighters from Leonardtown and Solomons to the scene. Additional tankers were requested due to the area being a non-hydrant area, the closest water supply point was the St. Mary’s College of Maryland on Mattapany Road.
Crews suffered one fire apparatus pump/primer failure, water supply issues, the fire being well-advanced before their arrival, along with crews unable to do an interior attack upon first arrival due to live ammunition inside the residence firing from the heat. Once personnel were able to attempt and interior attack, the roof collapsed along with the second floor caving in on top of firefighters on the first floor.
The fire was controlled in approximately one hour.
Two adults, five children and three dogs have been displaced, and are currently being assisted by the American Red Cross.
No known injuries have been reported.
The Office of the Maryland State Fire Marshal, SMECO, American Red Cross, Maryland State Police, and St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene to assist.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
