A fire in an apartment building Thursday morning was controlled by a single sprinkler head at 3:42 am this morning at the Huntington Apartments at 3002 Gallery Place, in Waldorf. Deputy State Fire Marshals determined the fire began in the kitchen of an apartment when unattended cooking was left on the stove.
Twenty five firefighters from Waldorf, La Plata, and Hughesville responded to the scene where the fire was extinguished within approximately five minutes. The fire was discovered by a neighbor who called 911. The occupant of the apartment where the fire originated is being assisted by the American Red Cross and the remaining residents of the apartment building were able to reoccupy their residences. Damages to the apartment where the fire originated are estimated at $100,000 dollars.
According to State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard, this incident once again highlights the benefits of an automatic sprinkler system. “This is the second time within a two-week time period that a single sprinkler controlled a fire in the Waldorf area. The automatic sprinkler system activated prior to the arrival of the fire department thereby keeping the fire under control, reducing the damage to the structure, and allowing additional time for occupants to escape.”
