Home»MARYLAND FIRE DEPT. INCIDENTS»ANNE ARUNDEL CO. Fire Dept.»3-Alarms Annapolis Yacht Club 12-12-15

The holiday season was well underway in Annapolis on the morning of December 12, 2015. The Annapolis Yacht Club was preparing for the “Annual Parade of Lighted Boats” which was scheduled to take place at 6:00PM in the Annapolis Harbor adjacent to the club. About 20,000 people were expected to attend the 33 year tradition. The club was closed to its members as the staff was preparing for the festivities that evening.
Around 2:00PM one of the employees reportedly noticed a small fire in an artificial Christmas tree on the top level of the club and alerted everyone to start evacuating the building. The clubs security monitoring company received a fire alarm at 2:16 and notified the Anne Arundel County Fire Department of a fire. AA County Fire Alarm was also starting to receive numerous calls from people on the street reporting “heavy smoke coming from the building.” Fire Box 38-24 was dispatched and when units from Annapolis City and Eastport arrived on the scene heavy smoke and fire was showing from the top floors. When Battalion Chief 35 arrived he made it a working fire. He quickly asked for the second and third alarms bringing additional units from the County and U. S. Naval Academy along with two Fire Boats. Units began an interior attack but were driven back by heavy smoke, a fast moving fire, and extreme heat conditions.
About 100 firefighters with 34 pieces of apparatus battled the blaze with ladder pipes and large hand lines and the 2 Fire Boats with their monitor pipes on two sides of the water exposure. Most of the fire was brought under control by 4:00 and finally extinguished by 7:00. Units remained on the scene overnight wetting down hot spots and conducting their investigation. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries and one civilian was hospitalized with a medical emergency. All of the employees managed to get out safely before the arrival of the Fire Department.
Roads in the area were closed during the fire causing backups and major traffic congestion. They were reopened around 8:30. The Eastport Bridge was opened after 10:00. The lighted boat parade was also cancelled.
On the following day Annapolis Mayor Mike Pantelides and AA County Executive Steve Schuh along with Governor Larry Hogan surveyed the damaged club building with Fire Department Investigators. Governor Hogan promised to provide any possible assistance to the historic yacht club.
Many of the yacht clubs historical artifacts, including paintings, photographs, trophies, ship models, and other momentos were destroyed.
The cause was determined to be an electrical malfunction that ignited a 9’ Christmas tree on the third floor deck and quickly spread through the clubhouse. There was extensive fire damage to the second and third floors and the rest of the building suffered smoke and water damage. The damage estimate is expected to exceed 9 million dollars.
On December 21st Mayor Pantelides, County Executive Schuh, and local officials from the House of Delegates held a press conference to recognize the fast response and heroic efforts of the Annapolis FD and AA County FD in fighting the fire and saving the century old Annapolis Yacht Club from total destruction. The members were presented with Certificates of Appreciation.