On Wednesday December 26th the New Market Volunteers spent the day standing by for the normal routine of accidents and related calls while snow and sleet hammered the region. Instead the department handled two house fires on the east end of the county.
The first call came at 1121 hours for a reported house fire in the 14000 block of Jasmine court in the 15-24 Box area (CC1 First Due). RE153(Sgt. Thews) and C15(Nalborczyk) responded on the run with 4 volunteers. CCC1-1 arrived on scene first to find a two story single family house with smoke showing from side C. Initial reports were of the deck and siding on fire with extension to the attic. CCE12 arrived and deployed a leader line due to an inaccessible driveway. C15 arrived and was designated the water supply officer. Units found the homeowner keeping the fire in check with a garden hose and deployed the line to the 2nd floor to check the attic. RE153 arrived, laid out, and the crew reported to side C to open up. The siding had burned away and significantly charred the walls and attic area near the roof edge. Crews spent about 20 minutes opening up and checking for extension. Command scaled the assignment back to Mount Airy and New Market Units. The fire was ruled to be accidental, which had started from a bucket of ashes being positioned too close to the house. Units picked up and cleared within an hour. U15(FF B. Bowman) reported to the scene with 3 volunteers to assist with clean up.
At 1650 hours Box 17-12 was alerted for a chimney fire with extension in the 8200 block of Dollyhyde Road. RE153(Sgt. Thews), A158(Capt. Lawson), U15(FF G. White), and C15(Nalborczyk) responded with 12 volunteers. C17 arrived first to find a 2 story farm house with smoke showing from the A and B sides. C17 established Command and requested the Rapid Intervention and Tanker Task forces. E172 arrived and reported back the lane, pulling an attack line to the second floor. RE153 arrived shortly thereafter and reported back the lane per Command. C15 established water supply and began setting up for those operations. RE153 was then directed to reverse lay back to Dollyhyde road to set up for water supply operations. RE153's crew threw ladders and reported to the second floor to open up the walls. Fire was discovered in the walls on the B side of the house. Crews spent about an hour opening up the plaster and lath walls around the chimney. Fire and charring were discovered from the first floor all the way to the attic due to balloon frame construction. Most of the B side wall was torn down and cut away with chain saws due to double layered siding. Command began scaling back the assignment about half an hour into the call and RE153 cleared at 1815 hours.
Many thanks to the numerous volunteers who spent hours picking up, drying, and repacking the 1500 feet of hose laid out on the fires.
