First Due Apartment Fire
JSB Apartments

June 28, 0423 hrs
reported by Deputy Chief DJ Mills

Units from the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department and surrounding companies were alerted to the JSB apartment complex for the working apartment fire, people trapped, unknown apartment building number. Chief 3B was first to arrive at 2169 Crain Hwy, with fire through the roof of a two-story garden apartment. E-31 arrived and split their crew into 2 groups, one attacking the fire on the second floor and the other throwing ground ladders to the second floor rear where there were reports of people hanging out the windows. E-31 put a quick knock on the fire in the apartment, however ran out of water before being able to advance into the attic area. While E-31’s lineman and OIC were waiting for water, they backed out into a position on the second floor landing. Chief 3B and E-31’s layout man conducted searches of the 4 apartments on the second floor which were all negative. Prior to the arrival of the Fire Department, the Charles County Sheriffs Department had already assisted several residence to safety including two that had jumped from the a second floor window, and assisted the EMS units on the scene.

While units were waiting for water, a second alarm was requested due to the fire burning the roof line of the building and possibly extending into the exposures. However once a water supply was established, E-31 put a stop to the rapidly advancing fire into the attic while Tower 24 and E-11 assisted on the fire floor and were joined by other crews as they arrived. Truck 25 and Tower 24’s roof teams were sent to the roof to cut trench cuts in order to keep the fire from spreading into the exposures. E-122 and Truck 25’s interior crew were sent into the exposure building to make sure the fire had not extended beyond the main fire building and then later joined in the fire building. The majority of the second alarm was then returned due to the aggressive interior operations to put a stop on this fire.

Chief 3 had the Waldorf Command while Chief 3B held operations, Chief 1A had Division 2, EMS Chief 69 had the EMS Sector, P.G. Chief 40B (Batt.7) was assigned safety and Chief 36A had accountability.

Waldorf Units: E-31, 34, V-3, E-122, Chief 3, 3B, Safety 3, Ambulances from EMS 3 and 12.

Mutual Aide: E-11, E-12, RS-40, TWR-24, Trk-25, E-451, RU-8, E-112 and several Chief officers.

The fire has been ruled as arson and a suspect is in custody thanks to the work of the Charles County Sheriffs Department and Maryland State Fire Marshall’s Office.

Additional photos are featured on theNBC 4 website. Thanks also to Spencer Stevenson and Chuck Pembleton for photos.