OWINGS, Md. — At 7:05 a.m. on October 1, Command 1 (Chief Mills), Car 1 (AC Freesland), and Brush 1 (Firefighters W. Callis & K. Gray) responded for a reported tree on an occupied single-family residence off Rte. 260 in Owings.
Crews arrived to find a large tree brought down by high winds toppled into a wood frame house.
Miraculously, the occupants had recently relocated their sleeping rooms to a lower level of the structure and were unharmed.
Power was removed from the building by NBVFD members and one of the occupants’ vehicles was extracted from the debris for the occupants’ use.
The NBVFD reminds all citizens to take the following precautions during high wind and heavy rain conditions:
– Know where the utility cutoffs are for your occupancy.
– If your occupancy is struck by a tree, exit the structure and DO NOT re-enter for any reason.
– Have working flashlights on all levels of your home.
– If you have a generator, test it monthly to ensure it will work properly when needed.
– If you have a portable generator, operate it outside and ensure the exhaust is not pointed toward any doors or windows.