Just after 0200 hours, Prince Georges Fire Communications began to receive 911 calls reporting that a house was on fire on Fairwood Road near Cooper Lane in Landover Hills. Within seconds, the Box Alarm was struck out including Engines 301, 332, Res. Eng. 33 and Engine 92, Tower 33, Truck 28 and Truck 9. After the initial alarm was sounded more calls came flooding in about the house fire, communications came back and advised now reporting numerous persons trapped. Engine 301 arrived and reported heavy fire showing and confirmed that people were trapped. Units from Kentland arrived right behind the Engine from 30 and rapidly went to work. Tower Ladder 33 (with 6 Volunteers) arrived as E30 was stretching the initial attack line. Firefighter Joe Brown (barman TW33) entered the heavily involved living room (from the front door) without protection of a hoseline and made his way to the rear bedroom area. Just after FF Brown entered the structure the fire enveloped the doorway and extended down the hall removing the firefighter’s primary egress. Unable to enter the structure from the front, the remaining Tower Ladder crew took ladders to the rear to gain access to the trapped occupants. After a quick sweep, FF Brown located an unconscious 6 year old child in a rear bedroom. The outside vent crew from the Tower Ladder threw a 24-foot ladder to the same area that Firefighter Brown had located the victim. Firefighter Brown took out the window and handed the child out to Tower Ladder 33 Firefighter James Carpenter and Lt. Roger Steger. The child was then rushed to EMS personnel. As that rescue took place the crew from Engine 332 advanced their 400-foot preconnect to the front door while the Rescue Engine pulled a back up line. The crew quickly made entry and knocked down the heavy fire conditions in the home and protected firefighters searching for occupants in the rear bedrooms. During the fire, another child was found in the original fire room and pronounced priority 4 (D.O.A.). Two other occupants (one child and one adult) were also seriously injured. Chief 33 (Mattison) as Battalion Chief 1 had the Command. The fire is still under investigation and as of the time this article was published, the rescued 6 year old is still alive but in critical condition. Our thoughts and prayers are with the child and his family.  View a local news story about this incident here.

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