WASHINGTON — A man who heard there was a fire at his home with his two preteen children there alone, raced through traffic in his car, overturned the vehicle and ran for the burning house the rest of the way, officials said Wednesday.
The Prince George’s Fire Department said they were alerted to a fire inside a home on the 100 block of Old Enterprise Road at about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. They said they arrived at the two-story townhouse to find smoke coming out of the front of the building. The fire was located on the first floor and quickly extinguished.
Two preteens were home when the fire started and escaped as soon as they smelled smoke. Their father, who learned about the fire via his cellphone, was rushing home when he flipped his vehicle in the intersection of Central Avenue and Enterprise Road.
He got out of the car and ran the rest of the way — about a half mile — eventually reuniting with his children, according to officials. Medics on the scene transported him to the hospital for possible injuries and a medical condition possibly triggered by running.
The family at the home — two adults and two children — are displaced and will be receiving assistance from the American Red Cross and the County Citizen Services Unit, officials said in a statement.
Firefighters proceeded to go door-to-door to make sure residents had working smoke detectors. They installed alarms for free for those who didn’t, and said any county resident can request one for free by calling 311.
The cause of the fire and estimated cost of the damage is still under investigation.
