Firefighters and medics returned Sunday to a community where a man died in a fire on Saturday.
They were part of a post-incident neighborhood intervention program, checking on smoke alarms and providing fire safety information to residents.
People are more apt to allow firefighters into their homes to check smoke alarms and open to listen to fire safety information soon after a tragic incident has occurred, when everyone's attention is still focused on the incident, fire officials say.
Just after 11 p.m. Saturday, Prince George's County firefighters and paramedics from Fort Washington and surrounding communities were alerted to an apartment fire. Numerous 911 callers reported a top floor apartment on fire at 1206 Palmer Road, a three-story garden style apartment building.
Fire and medical units arrived to find fire and smoke showing from the top floor. It took 43 firefighters about 15 minutes to put out the fire.
After most of the fire was extinguished, a person was found inside the apartment in which the fire started.
Fire investigators were conducting an investigation, but said the fire did not appear to be suspicious.
Fourteen people were displaced from their apartments, and losses were estimated at $150,000. No other injuries were reported.
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