The College Park Fire Department responded to two unrelated reports of burning buildings that occurred within 45 minutes of each other Sunday night — an abnormally high number of blazes for the city in a single evening, according to officials.
The first occurred at a university graduate student’s home, according to a neighbor, and the second fire was at Darcars Nissan. Although the buildings were damaged, there were no major injuries reported, according to Prince George’s County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady.
At 10:15 p.m., firefighters responded to reports of a house in flames at 7302 Baylor Ave. The residents were attempting to use their fireplace, according to Brady, who said he could not disclose their names.
Neighbor Sharon O’Malley — a resident of 7300 Baylor Ave. — was at home when the fire first started. The resident of the house ran over to O’Malley’s home, and the pair called the fire department, she said.
Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after the phone calls, and once the smoke cleared, the house looked unlivable, said O’Malley, an adjunct journalism professor at this university.
“They got there and got it done,” O’Malley said. “By the time they were finished, everything was gone. … It destroyed the entire main level.”
Although the fire remained contained in the house, O’Malley said, the pressure of the flames broke the windows, and fire billowed to the sky.
“The flames started in the living room, and they came out the windows,” she said. “It was a really big fire; I’ve never seen a fire that big up close and in person.”
According to Brady, two firefighters were hospitalized for sustaining minor burns but were released shortly after they were admitted. None of the residents were injured in the fire, but, according to O’Malley, one resident’s ear was singed. He was not admitted to the hospital.
“That’s the lucky part — that everybody was in the same room when it happened,” O’Malley said, which allowed all the residents to exit the home quickly and safely together.
Because firefighters said the building is too damaged to live in, the neighborhood is banding together to help the displaced residents, according to O’Malley.
“Our neighborhood has really come together,” she said. “Everybody’s offering help.”
The second incident occurred at Darcars Nissan on the 9300 block of Route 1 at 11 p.m. after an electrical malfunction caused the roof of the building to set fire, Brady said. About 40 firefighters from seven different squadrons doused the flames in 15 to 20 minutes and reported an estimated $100,000 in damage to the interior ceiling of the building.
Because no one was inside the building, there were no injuries, and business resumed as usual yesterday.
“Financially, $100,000 is pretty significant,” said Brady, adding that the damage can be repaired in a short period of time.
The dealership’s general manager Sam Darvish said he was glad the fire didn’t occur during regular hours.
“Thank God nobody got hurt; everyone is safe,” Darvish said.
foley at umdbk dot com
