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May 15, 2009 - Co. 17 Responds for a House
Explosion in Mt. Airy
Early
Friday morning, May 15 at 0145 hours (1:45 am),
units were dispatched for an explosion in the
area of the 2200 block of Flag Marsh Road.
Carroll County 911 received numerous calls from
as far away as 10 miles reporting the explosion.
Howard County E43 arrived on the scene 8 minutes
after dispatch and reported one house flattened
and others with significant damage. Flag Marsh
Road was blocked by debris from the blast.
Nearby homes were quickly checked and evacuated
while additional arriving units began stretching
hose lines to protect the exposures and fight
the fire in the remains of the leveled home.
Water supply became an immediate issue, so a
tanker task force was requested along with a RIT
(Rapid Intervention Team) dispatch. A draft site
was established to fill tankers that shuttled
water to the scene. The site was set up on
Newport Road at the bridge. The Newport Road
bridge dry hydrant was found damaged and
unusable, so sleeves were placed into the water
to establish a draft by B105. Amazingly, there
were no injuries to the residents of the nearby
homes, and there were no firefighter injuries
during the incident. One home was completely
destroyed, two homes were severely damaged, and
4 others were damaged to some lesser degree. The
home where the explosion occurred was unoccupied
at the time of the explosion, the other homes
were all occupied.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office has
determined that the explosion involved propane
gas that was used for heating and cooking in the
home. Further details of the explosion are still
under investigation.
The American Red Cross was on the scene
assisting residents whose homes were severely
damaged.
Units from the Mt. Airy, Lisbon, Winfield,
Sykesville, Damascus, New Windsor, West
Friendship, Laytonsville, and Howard County DFRS
responded to the scene. The Maryland State Fire
Marshal's Office, Maryland State Police, Carroll
County Sheriff's Office, Howard County Police,
and Carroll County Building Inspectors all
participated in the scene security or
investigation of the incident.
Fire and Rescue units cleared the scene at
approximately 0730 hours (7:30 am), but
investigating agencies were on the scene well in
to the afternoon.
Story Courtesy of: PIO
Douglas Alexander
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