Home»BALTIMORE COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2017 Fires and Incidents»Woods/Brush fire Marriottsville & Powells Run Rds. 3-9-17

Around 1315 hours on March 9th units from Liberty Road Volunteer Fire Company and career units Engine and Brush 18 from Randallstown were dispatched to a small grass fire alongside the road on Powells Run Road near Marriottsville Road in western Baltimore County near the Carroll County line.
As the gusty winds blew and shifted around flying embers ignited several more areas of leaves in wooded areas and fields before units arrived on the scene. When they arrived, firefighters on foot started chasing the fires down with shovels and rakes. More units were dispatched to get ahead of the fast moving fires. Crews from the Maryland Department of Forestry also responded to the scene. As the fire intensified and spread mutual aid was then called and several units from Sykesville Freedom VFD responded to several locations to try to stop the rapidly moving fire.
Due to the extremely dry conditions and a stiff wind blowing in a northeasterly direction the fire ignited everything in its path. Embers were flying in all directions starting fires in grass, standing leaves and trees. Most of the initial fire was burning on the property of the Flying Duck Farm Horse Santuary. As the fire and smoke approached, the owner evacuated her 8 horses as a precaution to a secluded area at the opposite end of the farm. As the fire passed through her 10 acre property it was now approaching homes in the community of Holbrook, along Holbrook Road. Under the direction of Command, units were dispatched to that location to set up operations there. At 1400 hours a special call was requested for 4 more engine companies along with their brush units and Battalion Chief 23 to establish a water supply and try to confine and cut off the moving fire. One sector was set up on Holbrook Road as the fire moved through the woods behind the occupied homes there.
As companies began arriving they sent the brush units to several areas to contain and extinguish the fires. At this point the fire was burning throughout a 16 acre area. Around 1445 special calls went out for tankers and Tanker Support Units to start setting up a water supply to shuttle water around and resupply the engines and brush units. A hydrant next to the Liberty Road VFD was used as the filling point for the numerous tankers shuttling up and down Liberty Rd. to the scene. A portable tank was set up on Holbrook Road to keep the units there supplied with water. As the fires burned and spread through the woods several houses were threatened but firefighters kept the fire from the houses. Firefighters continued chasing the fires down and extinguishing them for the next several hours until the fire was placed under control around sundown. Units remained on the scene for several more hours wetting down hot-spots.