Home»BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT»INCIDENTS»2014 Fires and Incidents»2-Alarms 1418 Cooksie Street 1-7-14

Around 2:00 PM on January 7, 2014 firefighters responded to a dwelling fire in the 1400 block of Cooksie Street in Locust Point. As companies responded they reported heavy smoke in the area. Squad 26 and Truck 6, stationed several blocks away, arrived first and reported a 2-story brick, end-of-group row house, with heavy fire blowing out of the first floor front. Two of the first alarm engine companies found that the hydrants they led off from were frozen due to the sub-freezing cold snap that hit the region in the past few days.
As crews began to attack the fire with just tank water, those companies had to find other hydrants that could supply additional water. Battalion Chief 6, Mike Rudasill arrived and made it a working fire. As firefighters began to knock the fire down on the first floor they made their way into the dwelling on the way up to the second floor.
Suddenly one firefighter fell through the first floor into the basement and a mayday was declared. Crews quickly retrieved him and carried him out to a waiting medic unit, with just minor injuries. Command backed units out and struck out a second alarm. Fire was now showing through the entire second floor and through the roof. Crews regrouped and then reentered the dwelling bringing the fire under control in about 45 minutes. Two other firefighters were injured, one with minor burns and the other slipped and fell on the icy street.
Cooksie Street is a very narrow neighborhood street that always presents its challenges. That and the fact that the temperatures hovered around 12 degrees, turning everything to ice as the water froze, made this fire extremely difficult to contend with.
Two of the occupants of the house escaped with minor injuries. They reported to investigators that they were in the rear area of the house and were alerted by smoke detectors and saw smoke and fire in the front room, possibly around their Christmas tree. Several of the family pets perished in the fire.
The fire caused extensive damage to 1418 Cooksie St. as well as damage to the house next door.