Basement Fire in Vacant Home in Clinton, Maryland

May 4, 2005
Shortly after 5pm, units in the Southside of Prince George's County, MD were dispatched for a fire in the rear of 5857 East Boniwood Turn in the Clinton area.

Shortly after 5pm, units in the Southside of Prince George's County, MD were dispatched for a fire in the rear of 5857 East Boniwood Turn in the Clinton area.

Clinton Engine 251, with a crew of five, was the first arriving unit and began investigating to determine the exact location of the structure.

Chief 25 (Robert Small), arrived shortly after Engine 251 and established the Clinton Command. Chief 25 had incoming units stage on Thrift Road until the exact location of the fire could be determined.

Clinton Volunteer LT Zak Kipple reported a basement fire in a house in between the townhouse and single family residence complex, approximately 250 yards from Engine 251's location.

The crew from Engine 251 stretched an 800', 3" ladder line to the structure and setup the standpipe pack as an attack line. Command located an additional entry point and utilized Allentown Road Truck 32 to gain access to the secured area. Uncommitted units from the staging area began moving into position to assist the crew from Engine 251.

With the assistance of Clinton Chief 25B (TJ Roth), the Engine crew mounted an aggressive interior attack into the basement and was soon assisted by units from Silver Hill, Morningside, Andrews AFB and Allentown Road.

The Engine crew from Silver Hill took an attack line to Division 1 while Brandywine's crew backed up the crew from Engine 251 in the basement division.

The fire was quickly extinguished in the basement with little extension to the first floor.

Truck 32 worked with the crew from Andrews AFB Tower 74 to search the structure, shut off utilities, ventilate and overhaul the vacant structure. The squad crew from Squad 47 was assigned as the Rapid Intervention Team.

Chief 25 had the command and was assisted by Clinton Chief 25A Scott Kaiser (Interior), and Morningside Chief 27B Syd Girven (Safety). An extensive overhaul effort was required as Investigators worked to determine the cause of the suspicious fire.

Units from Clinton Volunteer Fire Department remained on scene until 9pm. For more information, visit www.clintonvfd.org.

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