Perfect Weather Conditions turn Region into Tinderbox!

Extremely high winds, low humidity and a low ground fuel moisture content made for perfect conditions for brush fires over the weekend. Large brush fires in Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Frederick Counties caused Carroll County to transfer apparatus around to maintain adequate coverage for similar incidents in our area.

With most of the southern end of Carroll County assisting with Brush fires in Howard and Montgomery Counties, Engine 101 and Brush 105 were transferred to the Sykesville station at 1:38pm. As both units were backing into Station 12 they were immediately put to work on a first due box alarm assignment for the building fire at the BB & T Bank at the intersection of Route 26 and Route 32. First arriving Chief 12 (E. Ruch Jr) found an exterior fire extending up the outside of the building. Crews from E101 and Brush 105 put a quick knock on the fire and command held the assignment with Engine 101, Tower 12, Brush 105 and Paramedic 129. The NWFD crews operated for 45 minutes on the building fire and provided coverage at Station 12 for 4 hours.

As Engine 101 and Brush 105 returned to Station 12 from their building fire to maintain coverage on the South East corner of the county a field and brush fire was racing out of control in near the intersection of Dolly Hide Road and Timmons Road in the Libertytown area of Frederick County. Frederick County quickly began to ask for assistance from several Carroll County Companies. With Brush 105 in Sykesville, New Windsor sent Utility 10 with 5 personnel and brush firefighting equipment to assist. The crew from Utility 10 was able to make their way to the northern head of the fire and assist in stopping the fire spread and eventually extinguishing it. The fire burned a total of 46.1 acres of field, brush and wood land. Utility 10 operated on the Timmons Road Brush Fire for 3 hours and 45 minutes.

With 3 units and 11 volunteers out on incidents across the county coverage at New Windsor was maintained by an additional 14 personnel who staffed the remaining apparatus in the event of a local emergency. All three units made their way back to quarters by 5:30pm.

Just as all of the apparatus was cleaned and returned to service and everyone had a chance to catch their breath a request came through the Maryland Emergency Management Agency for assistance at one of several large fires in Prince Georges County. At 7:55pm, the volunteers from New Windsor stepped up to the plate and sent Brush 105 and Utility 10 with 4 personnel to assist in fighting one of the large brush fires in the 14900 Block of Bowie Station Road. Those crews worked through the night alongside crews from Cecil County and the District of Columbia Fire Department to knock down a woods and brush fire. Both units returned to quarters just after 6:30am Sunday morning.

When it was all said and done the NWFD volunteers provided 86 1/2 man hours of incident response to our mutual aid partners while still providing Emergency Services protection to the citizens of New Windsor and the surrounding communities.