Two separate fires drove 90 Prince George’s County residents from their homes during the week before Christmas.
But a quick-acting community helped them secure roofs over their heads and presents under their trees.
The Beltsville Volunteer Fire/EMS Station and the Berwyn Heights Volunteer Fire/EMS Department collected $11,000 in clothing, toys and gift-card donations for the fire victims. The Red Cross and building managers helped victims find places to stay, and county officials distributed $300 Macy’s gift cards to help ease victims’ troubles. The county also kept open its social services department on Christmas Eve, and Macy’s donated $10,000 to the Red Cross to assist the families.
The first fire started around 8:45 a.m. Dec. 17 from what fire officials believe was an unattended candle in a second-floor bedroom of the GerryGlen Condominium Complex on Cherry Hill Road in Beltsville. The fire, which destroyed one building and heavily damaged another, displaced 30 people and caused about $1.5 million in damage. Many of the residents who lost their homes found rooms with friends and family, said county fire department spokesman Mark Brady.
The cause of the second fire, at Springhill Lake Apartment Complex on Edmonston Road in Berwyn Heights, is still unknown, Brady said. Many of the 60 people who lost their apartments have been staying at a College Park hotel, but about half have moved into apartments made available by Denver-based Aimco, which owns the 2,900-unit complex. Aimco is working with the remaining residents to find suitable replacement homes, an Aimco spokeswoman said.
The Springhill fire was one of dozens that have swept through the sprawling complex this year. And though a man police charged with arson in connection with many of those fires remains in federal custody, the aging complex is still at risk for fast-spreading fires, Brady said. Larger-than-usual gaps in the walls and ceilings allow fires to spread faster at Springhill than other apartment buildings, he said.
The Aimco spokeswoman said the company has no plans to renovate the property.
Fire prevention during the holidays
» Unplug space heaters when they’re not being used.
» Put out candles.
»Keep Christmas trees well-watered and away from heat sources.
» Don’t overload electric outlets with Christmas lights, and check lights for frayed wires.
