Two people have been injured following a two-alarm apartment building fire Friday night in Cape St. Claire. Just after 11:20 p.m. multiple 9-1-1 calls were received reporting a fire in an apartment building in the 700 block of Southern Hills Drive. First arriving firefighters found fire on all levels and through the roof in the rear of a three-story apartment building. A second alarm was requested just minutes after firefighter’s arrival, bringing 65 firefighters from Anne Arundel County, Annapolis City and the Naval Academy to the scene.
A search of the building of origin and an exposure building found that all occupants were out of the apartments before the arrival of firefighters. The fire was brought under control in about 90 minutes with additional time required to extinguish challenging to reach hot spots.
A 70-year-old male occupant of an apartment was transported to Anne Arundel Medical Center with serious injuries related to smoke inhalation. One firefighter was transported to the Burn Center at John Hopkins Bayview Hospital with a minor burn injury. Twelve apartments in the original fire building sustained severe damage including holes in the floors and structural collapse. Another 12 apartments in the adjacent exposure building could not be reoccupied overnight pending inspection by the building inspector and restoration of utility service. It is possible that the residents in the 12 apartments in the adjacent building could be allowed to return to their homes today. The Red Cross was on the scene and has assisted five adults and two children displaced as a result of the fire.
The fire is under investigation by members of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit. No estimate of dollar loss has been established.
Source :
- AACoFD
