Nancy Lee Court Video.wmv

Chestnut Ridge, MD - December 13, 2009 A million dollar Baltimore County, MD home was destroyed Sunday night by a fire that tore through the 4,700-square-foot structure with such intensity that firefighters were forced to battle the flames from the exterior. Shortly after 9 p.m., Baltimore County Fire Dispatch alerted crews for Fire Box 50-2 at 12607 Nancy Lee Court in the Worthington Trace subdivision in the Chestnut Ridge area. As firefighters were responding, dispatch advised they were receiving multiple calls to 911, with some reporting the entire house was on fire. While en route to the scene, Chestnut Ridge Volunteer Fire Company Captain Dan Uddeme reported heavy fire was visible and requested a 2nd alarm and a Tanker Strike Team as the house sits in an area without fire hydrants. Upon arrival, Capt. Uddeme reported fire had consumed the entire 2nd floor and roof area and was spreading. Firefighters were forced to use exterior operations due to the heavy volume of fire. Responding units set up for rural water operations, shuttling more than 17,000 gallons of water from an underground tank on Greenspring Avenue and Walnut Avenue near the scene. Reisterstown Volunteer Fire Companys Engine 412 was also utilized for its Compressed Air Foam System, with several handlines and the ladder pipe from Glyndon Volunteers Truck 404 flowing foam. The Baltimore County Fire Investigation Division is investigating to determine the fires cause and origin.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• fire
• baltimore
• foam

[supreme2005]

Why did the fire department even show up?

[truck501]

A.F.F.F the only way to go

[14brimason]

@6:12 SAVE WATER!

[ntfd125]

@dancogroup In no way was the lack of an aggressive attack a factor in the loss of property. If you did more case studies (Which should be done every shift) you would also realize that the departments of Baltimore county, PG, and Prince William are very very aggressive.

[ntfd125]

@dancogroup These new developments compose my entire first due area. You can have all the proper training and equipment known to the fire service but if you do not make an attack within the first 8-10 min there is no chance in saving the structure as you pointed out these new materials burn fast. By reading the description i have determined that this structure was a loss when they were dispatched. Recieving multiple calls on a structure of this size is not a good sign.

[Emsworker68]

You guys sit there and quarterback it through a screen. We don't know what state the structure was in when the fire was first found. Nowadays anyone with that much money is a fool if they do not invest in real construction material and not the cheap stuff that falls apart when a spark lands on it. Perhaps the house would still be standing if they had. I do not have alot of money but I build my house with real framing. I want my house to survive!

[dancogroup]

So when they finally realize that they can pump water from the ladder - they decide to focus on the car that is obviously lost, and not the structure?

[dancogroup]

And what are they using the ladder for? A taller platform to take pictures from? And why are the firefighters on the fireground not wearing proper PPE? Do they not use SCBA in Maryland?

[dancogroup]

...CAFS to protect a stone exposure...that is simply too little too late. These new mini-mansions have burned before, and there are training videos showing how quickly this new construction burns. However, with proper training, equipment, and procedures, departments have saved these types of structures before.

Nothing against volunteers - but maybe it is suburban versus urban firefighters, but it seems that they were nowhere near aggressive enough in fighting this fire.

[dancogroup]

...have initiated the attack aggressively starting by hitting the fire source on the inside, provided the IC established that structural collapse was not imminent, which it appears it wasn't. If the second-story was engulfed upon first assignment arrival, this could have struck down a tremendous portion of the fire in no time. This also would have given the second and third-due apparatus a good opportunity to start fighting on the exterior exposures. The guys in the video seem to be using the...