STATter 911

Watch raw video shot by Chief Larry Gaddis, Bethesda Fire Department

In the image above the chimney begins to fall on side C of a 3-story townhouse in Gaithersburg, MD. Most of the roof and the third floor ended up on the second floor of the home on Owens Glen Terrace.

The fire was reported around 11:00 AM on Monday. Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer says the lightweight construction of the home, along with the heavy volume of fire forced firefighters to abandon an interior attack.

On a video shot by Chief Larry Gaddis of the Bethesda Fire Department you can see firefighters getting water on the fire on the second floor. Within moments command gives the order to sound the evacuation tones. The air horns blow and work is concentrated on setting up a defensive operation.

Piringer said the interior crews had already reported concerns about floor conditions. According to Piringer within minutes of the removal of crews the collapse begins.

One firefighter suffered first-degree burns and another had an ankle injury. No residents were injured. A dog in exposure D ran out as firefighters came in.

Second and third alarms were called.

Piringer said work by firefighters, with help from the firewalls, kept the fire from the adjacent townhomes. There was significant damage in exposures B and D from smoke and water and due to firefighters breaching the walls to contain the fire.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 12:09 AM