Three fires destroy homes in Charles, displaces over a dozen people

Three separate, destructive fires destroyed two homes and an apartment building in Charles County last week, leaving multiple people displaced.

On Saturday, June 8, around 10:30 a.m. the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to 6016 New Forest Court for an apartment building fire.

Two firefighters sustained non-life-threatening injuries while battling the blaze, and it took 52 firefighters on-site to finally extinguish it, according to a release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The fire originated on the patio of the complex, according to the fire marshal’s office.

It took 20 minutes to control the fire and the cause was deemed to be accidental. Ten residents from eight apartments were displaced by the fire and are being assisted by the Red Cross.

The fire marshal reported $400,000 in losses in the apartment complex fire.

“Following the home fire, trained disaster response volunteers provided essential services — including food, water, financial resources, emotional support and the replacement of medications, according to need,” Stephanie Babyak, a community volunteer leader with the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region Red Cross, said in an emailed statement.

The Red Cross volunteer continued, “In the days and weeks to come, volunteer team members will continue to work with impacted individuals and families to provide additional recovery resources and help those affected get on the road to recovery.”

Earlier last week on June 5 around 6:30 p.m., the Waldorf Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to the 5612 Needlefish Court for a house fire. Arriving within two minutes, responders found a single-family home with fire showing from the second floor, and through the roof.

One member of the fire department was transported to the hospital and was released a few hours later, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

It was determined that the fire originated in the attic, but the cause was undetermined. The blaze took around 50 minutes to control and units operated for approximately three hours.

Structural losses totaled $250,000 and $50,000 of contents were lost.

And on Sunday, June 2, the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department responded to a large house fire at approximately 8 p.m. in the neighborhood of Bucktown Court in Hughesville.

Upon arrival, firefighters found a two-story single-family home with fire coming through the roof.

Firefighters discovered an exterior fire that extended into the residence. They swept the exterior before making entry and extinguishing the fire.

During their efforts, part of the roof collapsed. Crews adjusted the attack strategies and brought the fire under control within 30 minutes, according to a release from the Hughesville Volunteer Fire Department.

In total, Hughesville units operated for approximately three hours.