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ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Fireground radio transmissions of the controversial fire on the waterfront near Annapolis shed more light on the problems firefighters dealt with Sunday night. The audio recordings were obtained by 9NEWS NOW through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The recordings show the first arriving fire unit, an SUV driven by a battalion chief, arrived at 10:32 PM about seven-minutes after the first 911 call.

One neighbor reported it was 46-minutes before fire crews arrived. The first fire engine was on the scene about 10:36 PM.

By the time the first engine was setting up hose lines, the second home was half engulfed in flames. Firefighters then had to deal with a series of obstacles that included power lines threatened by the fire and propane tanks that were exposed to flames. The fire also started to push across the street burning through the main water supply line for the first firefighters.

At 10:52 PM, 27-minutes after the call to 911, the battalion chief, concerned about the safety of the firefighters, ordered crews to retreat to the end of the street.

According to Battalion Chief Matt Tobia, some water was still available. It was used to cool down homes across the street that were now threatened by the fire.

Firefighters moved back in to the main fire when a more secure water supply was obtained. By then, the third house was burning.

Republished with permission of WUSA-TV.

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