The Prince George’s County fire department battled six structure fires between Friday morning and Saturday night that caused an estimated $743,000 in total damage, officials said. The unusual number of fires likely was caused in part by the weekend’s sudden bout of wintry weather, said fire spokesman Mark Brady. As the weather turns colder, residents often look for “alternative ways” to stay warm, such as space heaters and fireplaces.
This was true of a fire on the 4700 block of Colonel Ashton Place in Upper Marlboro on Saturday night.
At about 7:15 p.m., firefighters extinguished a fire that damaged the second floor and roof of the two-story townhouse. Firefighters believe the fire was caused by an opening in the fire shaft of a fireplace that allowed embers to escape, Brady said. Because the fire grew in the walls, the house’s sprinkler system was ineffective.
The damage is estimated at $85,000.
A faulty electrical outlet is believed to be the cause of a fire discovered just after 8 p.m. Saturday night.
Firefighters arrived at a two-story home on the 7900 block of Barrett Road East in Oxon Hill to find the first and second floors ablaze. Firefighters had to employ gallons of water, causing the roof to collapse.
After about 30 minutes, firefighters heard a dog barking, which they traced to the house’s basement. They were able to rescue Bishop, a Jack Russell terrier, which Brady called “remarkable” since the house had been reduced to a burned-out shell. The homeowner’s other two dogs were not as lucky, however.
Damage is estimated at $250,000.
The causes of two house fires are still under investigation.
One, in Accokeek, occurred at about 12:30 a.m. Saturday. The fire likely began in the two-story brick home’s garage, though no definitive cause has been found, Brady said.
Firefighters were unable to prevent significant damage, estimated at about $250,000.
A house on the 7200 block of Mount Forest Terrace in District Heights caught fire about 4 p.m. Friday. Neighbors called the fire department when they saw flames on the outside of the house. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had engulfed both floors of the two-story house and reached the roof.
The house was under renovation, though no work had been done recently and the homeowners had not been there for a month, Brady said. As a result, firefighters do not know what caused the blaze. Damage is estimated at $150,000.
Friday morning, firefighters also responded to a kitchen fire in College Park — likely cooking-related, said Brady — and a fire at an IHOP in Laurel that started as a result of some repairs being done to the roof.
