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$2M Blaze Guts Maryland Car Dealership, Employee Injured: Fire Marshal $2M Blaze Guts Maryland Car Dealership, Employee Injured: Fire Marshal
$2M Blaze Guts Maryland Car Dealership, Employee Injured: Fire Marshal A massive two-alarm fire tore through a Harford County used car dealership and repair shop, causing an estimated $2 million in damage and sending one employee to the hospital, officials said. Firefighters rushed to EZ Car Plus on Pulaski Highway in Edgewood around 2:52 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, where they found flames ripping through the single-story building, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office. Joppa-Magnolia VFC It took 50 firefighters from the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding departments about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, but the damage…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
$980K Fire Destroys Virginia Home, Family Dog Still Missing (UPDATED) $980K Fire Destroys Virginia Home, Family Dog Still Missing (UPDATED)
$980K Fire Destroys Virginia Home, Family Dog Still Missing (Updated) A Loudoun County family’s home was completely destroyed in a massive fire that left one cat clinging to life in the rubble and a dog missing. Firefighters rushed to the Jonella Farm property early on Thursday, March 6, where they found heavy flames ripping through both floors of the home in the Catoctin District, according to Loudoun County Fire and Rescue. The two adults and two children who lived in the house were not home at the time, and no injuries were reported. Initially, officials said one of the family’s pets—a cat—was found alive in the rubble, while a second dog remained unaccou…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
22 Displaced As Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Montgomery County Townhouse 22 Displaced As Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Montgomery County Townhouse
22 Displaced As Two-Alarm Fire Tears Through Montgomery County Townhouse A fast-moving, two-alarm fire ripped through a Montgomery Village townhouse complex early Friday morning, forcing firefighters to rescue trapped residents and leaving at least 22 people displaced, officials said. Fire crews were called around 3:50 a.m. on March 7 to a home in the 10200 block of Cove Ledge Court off Watkins Mill Road, where they arrived to find heavy flames engulfing the rear of a three-level quad-style townhouse, according to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesperson Pete Piringer. As the fire spread into the attic and upper floors, several occupants had to b…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Tesla Battery Ignites In 'Thermal Runaway' Fire At Montgomery County Demolition Site Tesla Battery Ignites In 'Thermal Runaway' Fire At Montgomery County Demolition Site
Tesla Battery Ignites In 'Thermal Runaway' Fire At Montgomery County Demolition Site A Tesla battery buried in debris months after a house fire suddenly reignited, sparking a hazardous "thermal runaway" fire during demolition in Montgomery County, officials said. Firefighters rushed to 21700 Peachtree Road near Barnesville Road in Dickerson around 2:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5, after reports of a vehicle and debris fire, according to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. Crews arrived to find a Tesla car battery engulfed in flames as workers demolished the property where a house fire had occurred on Nov. 11, 2024.  The fire in Montgo…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Trucker Torches Tractor-Trailer Along I-68 In Maryland: Fire Marshal Trucker Torches Tractor-Trailer Along I-68 In Maryland: Fire Marshal
Trucker Torches Tractor-Trailer Along I-68 In Maryland: Fire Marshal A Baltimore County man is facing serious charges after investigators say he intentionally set his disabled semi-truck on fire along I-68 in Western Maryland. Robert Steven Silver, 42, of Cockeysville, was arrested Tuesday, March 4, with the help of Baltimore County Police after a months-long investigation by the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The incident happened on the night of Oct. 12, 2024, when firefighters from the Baltimore Pike Volunteer Fire Company responded to a burning tractor-trailer at the 50-mile marker of the interstate.  Crews arrived to find flames inside a 2012 V…

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by Zak Failla
Obituaries
Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Montgomery County Fire Fought For Justice Until The End Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Montgomery County Fire Fought For Justice Until The End
Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Montgomery County Fire Fought For Justice Until The End David Shaffer, a blind civil rights attorney and lifelong advocate for marginalized communities, died after being pulled from the basement of a burning Montgomery County home. Fire crews rushed to the home on Aurora Drive in the Garrett Park Estates neighborhood on Friday, Feb. 28, according to a Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesperson. Firefighters managed to rescue Shaffer, who was blind and unable to escape on his own, but he later died at the hospital from his injuries. The Kensington fire. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Officials determined the fire was accidental, with multiple p…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
41,000+ Birds Perish In Maryland Chicken House Blaze: Fire Marshal 41,000+ Birds Perish In Maryland Chicken House Blaze: Fire Marshal
41,000+ Birds Perish In Maryland Chicken House Blaze: Fire Marshal A devastating fire tore through two chicken houses in Somerset County, killing upwards of 41,000 chickens and destroying a vehicle, officials said. The blaze broke out over the weekend at a property on Pete’s Hill Road in Princess Anne, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. When the property owner arrived at the farm, one of the chicken houses had already collapsed in flames.  Investigators say he tried to prevent the fire from spreading to another chicken house but was overtaken by the fast-moving flames, which also engulfed his Toyota Highlander. Firefighters from the Princ…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
$700K Lost In Massive Garage Fire At Maryland Home, Officials Say $700K Lost In Massive Garage Fire At Maryland Home, Officials Say
$700K Lost In Massive Garage Fire At Maryland Home, Officials Say A devastating fire tore through a large attached garage in Maryland, destroying $700,000 worth of property, officials said. The blaze erupted shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 2, at a single-family home on Sennett Road, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal. Fire investigators said the fire started on a workbench inside the 40' x 80' garage, where several electronic appliances and lithium-ion batteries were stored. By the time more than two dozen firefighters from the Denton Volunteer Fire Company brought the fire under control 40 minutes later, the garage had been complete…

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by Zak Failla
News
Pitt Football Freshman Mason Alexander Killed In Fiery Crash While Home In Indiana Pitt Football Freshman Mason Alexander Killed In Fiery Crash While Home In Indiana
Pitt Football Freshman Mason Alexander Killed In Fiery Crash While Home In Indiana Mason Alexander, a freshman on the University of Pittsburgh football team, was killed in a fiery car crash in Fishers, Indiana, on Saturday night, March 2, authorities confirmed. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a vehicle fire with entrapment at 10900 block of Florida Road around 9:03 p.m., dispatch records show. Alexander, 18, was a passenger in a 2016 BMW 340 traveling south on Florida Road from 113th Street when the driver attempted to pass another vehicle, investigators said. As the BMW crested a hill near Geist Park, it entered the northbound lane and swer…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Man Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Weeks Later, Fire Officials Say Man Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Weeks Later, Fire Officials Say
Man Pulled From Burning Montgomery County Home Dies Weeks Later, Fire Officials Say Officials have confirmed that a Gaithersburg man rescued from a house fire last month has died after two weeks in the hospital. Fire crews arrived to find flames tearing through a single-story home in the unit block of Oak Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16, according to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue officials. The Gaithersburg fire. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Firefighters searched the home and found a man inside, officials said. They pulled him from the home and rushed him to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. After two weeks in the hospital, the victim died, offici…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Used Explosive Device To Destroy Mom's Car: Maryland Fire Marshal Man Used Explosive Device To Destroy Mom's Car: Maryland Fire Marshal
Man Used Explosive Device To Destroy Mom's Car: Maryland Fire Marshal A Maryland man is facing arson and explosives charges after investigators say he intentionally set his mother’s car on fire, causing damage to both the vehicle and a nearby home. Terry Lynn Ford Jr., 24, of Cumberland, was arrested on Friday, Feb. 28, following a months-long investigation by the Maryland State Fire Marshal’s Office, authorities said. Fire crews responded to a 2005 Toyota Camry Solara engulfed in flames outside 883 Patterson Avenue around 8 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2024, officials said Investigators later determined the fire was deliberately set using an explosive device, causing an…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Pair Killed In Accidental House Fire Identified By Officials In Maryland Pair Killed In Accidental House Fire Identified By Officials In Maryland
Pair Killed In Accidental House Fire Identified By Officials In Maryland An elderly pair who died in a devastating Annapolis townhome fire have been confirmed as the first fire-related fatalities of the year in Anne Arundel County, officials said. Paul D. Tisdale, 84, and Pamala S. Fox, 70, lost their lives when flames ripped through their home in the 900 block of Riversedge Circle on Thursday, Feb. 20, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, which identified them on Wednesday. Crews were dispatched around 9:45 p.m. and arrived to find the middle-of-the-row townhouse fully engulfed. Firefighters launched an aggressive attack on the blaze while…

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by Zak Failla