What the fire scene in Adelphi looks like now. Firefighters dropping debris off balconies @WTOP pic.twitter.com/nO2viUH9M7
— Michelle Basch (@mbaschWTOP) January 14, 2016More views of the Presidential Park Condominiums fire cleanup in Adelphi @WTOP pic.twitter.com/1zEwHs9PWg
— Michelle Basch (@mbaschWTOP) January 14, 2016I'm told the Red Cross will be arriving soon at Adelphi apartment fire. At least 2 units badly burned @WTOP pic.twitter.com/cNKyRPABwK
— Michelle Basch (@mbaschWTOP) January 14, 2016
WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County fire crews rescued residents of an Adelphi four-story apartment building as flames shot through the roof Wednesday evening.
Prince George’s County Fire & EMS says a two-alarm fire happened at Presidential Park Condominiums, at 9205 New Hampshire Ave., at about 5:20 p.m. Prince George’s and Montgomery County firefighters received the call roughly three minutes earlier.
Fire crews used ladders to rescue residents who fled to their balconies. Other firefighters went into the building to fight the fire from the interior and rescue any residents.
Prince George’s County Fire Chief Marc Bashoor says some of the rescues involved a 45-foot pole ladder.
“When you’re operating on those ground ladders at 20 and 30 feet off the ground, it’s pretty harrowing for these people … and then you have a citizen who is not used to coming down that ladder, it’s even more harrowing for them,” says Bashoor. “This is exactly what our folks train for every day.”
It’s not yet clear how many people were rescued, but Fire & EMS spokesman Mark Brady says there are no reports of serious injuries. He later estimated the damage at $200,000.
Two apartment residents sustained non life-threatening injuries, Brady says. Bashoor added that one of the resident’s injuries were “consistent with jumping from the fourth floor down to a third floor balcony.” Two firefighters were also taken to a burn unit.
The bulk of the fire was out by 6 p.m. but crews remained on the scene to ensure the blaze was out. Officials have not yet said what caused the fire.
All 101 residents of the 40 units in the building will be displaced at least for Wednesday night, Brady says. Power will have to be turned off to the building for the investigation and to ensure all hot spots are out, which will make it uninhabitable, he says.
“It’s very unfortunate that a lot of people from that particular building will be displaced,” Brady said on WTOP Wednesday. “Everybody will have to spend the night somewhere else.”
The Red Cross was working to assist those looking for a place to stay — Brady said in a tweet later that only 10 people, in four units, needed the help, and that others made their own plans.
View a map of the area near the fire:
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
