ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WUSA) -- Firefighters spent Sunday night and early Monday morning battling a five-alarm fire in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. At least one home was destroyed and several others were damaged.
The fire began before 10:30 Sunday night in the 3300-block of Shore Drive in the Arundel On The Bay community, south of downtown Annapolis. Battalion Chief Matthew Tobia, the Public Information Officer for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department says when firefighters first arrived, the flames had already spread to 3 homes.
But residents deny that. They say when firefighters arrived, the flames were consuming 1 home. Dan Craig says he has the video tape to prove it. He says the flames didn't start spreading to the other homes until at least an hour and a half after firefighters arrived.
While some say the first responders didn't arrive for 20 to 40 minutes after the first 911 call was made, Battalion Chief Tobia says their records show the first engine arrived within 12 minutes.
And Craig and others in the Oyster Harbor community say the fire grew out of control even quicker because first responders had a tough time getting enough water. They claim the problem was the hoses weren't long enough.
They say they felt helpless as they waited for crews from Annapolis City, as well as fire-boats from Queen Anne's and Calvert Counties to help. The boats used water from the Chesapeake Bay to provide a constant flow of water to fight the fire.
Battalion Chief Tobia says he stands by firefighters' actions but they will do a post-analysis review later this week. Residents are demanding that the county do an independent review into what happened.
A dog, a beloved family pet was killed in the fire but no one else was seriously hurt. A cause remains under investigation.
For more on this and other stories, go to STATter 911 Blog.
Republished with permission from WUSA-TV
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