Cause Of Apartment Fire Remains Under Investigation

One person suffered minor injuries.


Frederick, Md (KM)  One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries following an apartment building fire in Frederick Thursday night.

Fire and rescue personnel were dispatched to the Willowdale Crossing Apartments at 160 Willowdale Drive shortly after 6:00 PM. Assistant Chief Robert Wells with the Independent Hose Company says fire fighters found flames coming from a bedroom window in a terrace-level unit at 160-B Willowdale Drive. “Crews made an aggressive attack, made an entry from the front, got inside, was able to do a primary search, extinguish the fire and keep it from extending anywhere else,” Wells says.

He says an occupant of the terrace-level unit suffered minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. There were no other injuries, Wells says.

A majority of the damage from the fire was sustained to the terrace-level apartment. “Currently, we have four other levels, approximately 16 apartments that were affected with smoke. But the primary damage was in the terrace level, in the rear of it,” says Wells.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.  No damage estimate is available.

Assistant Chief Wells says the fire went to two-alarms, bringing a lot of apparatus to the scene. “Due to being an apartment building, we don’t want to take chances with fire extending to multiple levels. So It takes a lot of resources to get into a building this size just to make sure we adequately search all floors for victims, and get enough hose lines in the place to keep the fire from extending, to keep any other exposures and buildings from being involved,” he says.

The Red Cross is assisting with the tenants who were displaced by the fire.

 

By Kevin McManus