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The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service issued an apology Friday after an incident on Thursday night resulted in the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts baseball team having to cancel their game.
In a social media post Friday, the team, which is part of the collegiate Cal Ripken League, showed a video of water being sprayed by a fire hose onto the field at Montgomery Blair High School on University Boulevard.
The post said the water was being sprayed onto the field in apparent retaliation for a baseball being hit over the fence and into the parking lot of Fire Station 16 during batting practice, causing damage to a pickup truck belonging to one of the firefighters assigned to the station.
So much water was sprayed onto the field that the game had to be canceled because of the condition of the playing area.
“We want to express our sincere apologies to the players, the teams involved, the Cal Ripken League and all the fans and families that were impacted by the disruption,” said Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer, who added the incident is under investigation.
He was not aware if anyone had been disciplined as of Friday night.
“There’s a process, and we are following that process and gathering all the relevant information,” Piringer told WTOP.
He said MCFRS was working with Maryland National Capital Police in investigating the matter.
“The station and ball field have a long history and share this space, and they’re neighbors,” Piringer said. “We recognize that incidents like this can have a real impact, and … we’re taking it seriously.”
The Thunderbolts are concerned whether or not their home field at Montgomery Blair High School will be usable for the rest of their season.
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