UPDATE 10/20/2022: On Monday, October 17, 2022, at approximately 12:55 p.m., firefighters from NAS Patuxent River, NAS Webster Field, Ridge, Bay District, and Valley Lee responded to 47454 Leonard Calvert Circle in St. Mary’s City, for the reported structure fire.
Crews arrived on scene and reported they had a fire in a built in utility chase used for passing electrical and plumbing systems between the floors of the historic building.
Firefighters quickly began to open up the bottom floor chase looking for fire extension. Ridge Engine 43 and Bay District Engine 31 arrived and assisted with water supply and extended a secondary line to the second and third floors.
NAS Patuxent River Truck 13 went to the attic area where they located a small fire. The fire was quickly extinguished. Crews worked for an additional 2 hours performing salvage and overhaul.
The fire is under investigation by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
10/17/2022: On Monday, October 17, 2022, at approximately 12:55 p.m., firefighters from NAS Patuxent River, NAS Webster Field, Ridge, Bay District, and Valley Lee responded to 47454 Leonard Calvert Circle in St. Mary’s City, for the reported smoke in a commercial structure.
911 callers reported smoke on the first floor and believed there was a fire in the “chase pipe”.
Firefighters arrived on the scene and found a 4-story commercial structure with nothing evident. Upon further investigation, firefighters located a fire on the first floor, which had also extended into the attic.
Crews operated on the scene for nearly 2 hours and extinguished the fire in 55 minutes.
No injuries were reported.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
The historic institution was completely destroyed on January 5, 1924, during a devastating fire.
The damage from todays fire is unknown at this time. The building was the St. Mary’s Seminary from 1840-45, the St. Mary’s Female Seminary from 1845-1949, the St. Mary’s Seminary Junior College from 1949 to 1964, St. Mary’s College of Maryland from 1964-present.
