A massive fire left an Upper Marlboro, Maryland, home gutted on Friday morning, with firefighters battling towering flames that left nothing but the building’s frame intact.
Prince George’s County first responders were dispatched to a fire in a two-story, single family house in the woods off Connaught Court, near U.S. Route 301/Crain Highway and Pennsylvania Avenue in Upper Marlboro, around 5:30 a.m. Friday.
The fire apparently started in an attached garage and spread into the roof of the sprawling house, fire/EMS department spokesman Mark Brady tweeted in an update later Friday. The house did have sprinklers, but the fire “burned in roof above sprinklers.”
One adult is displaced, Brady added, and there were no injuries.
The fire caused an estimated $600,000 in damages.
Aerial images from WTOP’s news partners at NBC Washington appeared to show the home’s roof had failed, with only its external walls still standing amid flames taller than the building itself:
RAGING house fire in #UpperMarlboro @nbcwashington @First4Traffic #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/houvcJRCUX
— Brad Freitas (@BradFreitas) December 13, 2019
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein reported that the owner safely left the building after calling 911.
Due to the residence’s isolation in a rural area beyond the reach of a hydrant, six 3,000 gallon fire department tankers were running water to firefighters from over a mile down the street:
All that’s left of gorgeous home on Connaught Court in Upper Marlboro. Homeowners called 911, and got out. Nearest fire hydrant more than mile away. @PGFDPIO says six huge 3000 gallon tanker trucks have been getting water, bringing it to scene. pic.twitter.com/KkZxwEcQPh
— Neal Augenstein (@AugensteinWTOP) December 13, 2019
Earlier, Acting Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Dunn said the building suffered a total collapse, with firefighters battling the flames from the outside due to dangerous conditions within. He added that an initial search found no one inside the building.
Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire.
