Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2016 Fires and Incidents»1-Alarm 1505 Hazel St. 10-24-16

Around 11:00AM on October 24, 2016 reports started pouring into Communications for a house on fire in the 1500 block of Hazel Street, which is only two streets away from Engine 57’s quarters located in Curtis Bay. Fire Box 57-80 was dispatched and mutual aid from Anne Arundel County was included in the assignment. First arriving unit Engine 57 along with units from Brooklyn in Anne Arundel County found a 2-story brick single family home with heavy smoke and fire showing from the upper floor and roof. When Battalion Chief 6 arrived he called for a working fire assignment.
Companies began an interior attack and had made their way to the stairway leading to the second floor when they were forced to evacuate due to heavy fire on the second floor and through the roof with the possibility of collapse above them. The three aerial ladders set up for exterior operations as the fire engulfed the entire roof and attic space and collapsed into the second floor. Companies in the rear with hose lines had to cut down wooden fences to get into the yard and access the house.
Apparently exterminators were working in the house and one of their appliances caught fire in the first floor exterior stairway. The fire quickly traveled up the stairs to the second floor and made its way into the attic space above the ceiling. It overtook the entire roof and before companies could get water on it collapsed to the second floor.
It was brought under control within 30 minutes. The owner was not at home at the time and all of the workers escaped uninjured.