A little preventive maintenance could have averted a blaze that displaced the residents of six condominiums in Annapolis Monday evening, according to fire officials.
Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman Lt. Frank Fennell said the three-alarm fire in the Windgate community was caused by a bird?s nest built on top of a screen meant to protect a fireplace flue.
Bird?s nests can be a problem anywhere, and investigators on the scene said almost all of the units in the complex had the same thing, Fennell said.
Fumes from the occasionally used natural gas fireplace in the second-floor apartment at 2013 Warners Terrace South ignited the nest, Fennell said. The unit?s owner told fire officials the fireplace was seldom used, but had been turned on to entertain guests. Firefighters from Anne Arundel County, the city of Annapolis and the U.S. Naval Academy responded to the fire around 6:30 p.m., and had the flames under control in less than an hour.
An automatic fire protection sprinkler on the balcony of the third-floor apartment kept the flames in checkinitially, but the fire melted the vinyl siding and spread to a space inside the building between the ceiling of the second floor and the floor of the third floor.
Fennell said the fireplace flues that vent on the side of the building instead of through a more traditional vertical chimney are common in apartment buildings and townhomes, and are typically within easy reach of the homeowner or tenant.
“All they have to do is brush [nests] off,” Fennell said. “Normally there?s a wire box built around it to protect the flue … It would really behoove the owner to check for that.”
Fennel said the only injuries caused by the blaze came after the fire was out. A 26-year-old firefighter from the Naval Academy sustained minor neck and back injuries when a chunk of water-logged ceiling fell on top of him as he was helping to clear away debris for investigators.
Fire officials said units on the second and third floors suffered smoke and fire damage, while water damaged most of the first-floor unit. Three other apartments lost their utilities and still did not have them back by Tuesday afternoon. Fire officials estimated the damages at $400,000.
Debbie Hayes, who lives in the neighboring building, said residents are typically responsible for keeping up with outdoor maintenance on their condos, and said she regularly monitors the outdoor vents for nests.
“Around September or October I?ll hire someone to come out and clean them,” she said. “One year, I got rid of a nest and the debris half filled a shopping bag.”
