Fires Deliberately Set in Shuttered Historic State Hospital Buildings in Sykesville, MD
Fires in two buildings at the former Springfield State Hospital were intentionally set.
Investigators with the Maryland Fire Marshals Office made the determination following examining the scene in Sykesville Saturday.
Fire and smoke were visible when firefighters from Sykesville Freedom District Fire Department approached the hospital campus.
A defensive attack was launched due to the condition of the structure and the amount of fire.
The building was part of the first phase of construction to happen when the state hospital was established in 1896.
Firefighters on Tower 12 and Baltimore County Truck 18 established aerial operations.
As the effort continued, firefighters saw smoke coming from a second building. They located and extingushed a small fire there. Crews also checked other structures on the property, but found no other fires.
Faced with non-working hydrants, the incident commander requested a tanker task force and second alarm. Firefighters worked for more than three hours before brining the blaze under control.
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Susan Nicol
News Editor
Susan Nicol is the news editor for Firehouse.com. She is a life member and active with the Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance & Rescue Company, Oxford Fire Company and Brunswick Vol. Fire Co. Susie has been an EMT in Maryland since 1976. Susie is vice-president of the Frederick County Fire/Rescue Museum. She is on the executive committee of Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association. She also is part of the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS) Region II EMS Council. Susie is a board member of the American Trauma Society, Maryland Division. Prior to joining the Firehouse team, she was a staff writer for The Frederick News-Post, covering fire, law enforcement, court and legislative issues.