House Fire Kills Resident, Hospitalizes 3 Firefighters: Report

Bowie MD

01 December, 2020

9:26 PM

Description

LAUREL, MD — A Laurel house fire killed a man and injured three fire fighters on Monday, an incident report said. Officials identified the victim as George Edward Kowalski. He was 78. Kowalski lived in the home, which suffered $345,000 in damage. Crews from four counties heard word of the fire around 7:30 a.m. Minutes later, firefighters arrived at the one-story, single-family home in the 16000 block of Bond Mill Road. They found the first floor partially collapsed into the basement. First responders entered the basement from the rear and started fighting the flames from the inside. The extensive storage in the house and the partially-collapsed floor made for a challenging, smoky battle. (Story continues after each tweet) An update on the investigation into yesterday's fatal fire in Laurel. @mcfrs @HCDFRS @AACoFD @pgpdnews. https://t.co/4jcunu66cn pic.twitter.com/ESEhJmYGzt— Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department (@PGFDNews) December 1, 2020 By 7:55 a.m., crews were ordered out of the home, as the first floor neared a complete collapse. Firefighters continued the operation from the outside, keeping the flames from reaching the attic. The report noted that responders found the victim around 10:50 a.m., declaring him dead on the scene. Three Prince George's County firefighters were injured battling the flames, officials said. They all went to unnamed hospitals for treatment. Doctors released the trio later that afternoon. Crews from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service assisted the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department's response. Investigators do not know what caused the fire. They don't think it was an act of arson. Fire Task Force: Additional #PGFD units to the 16000 blk of Bond Mill Rd in Laurel to assist with incident response. pic.twitter.com/GinI3LVVB8— Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department (@PGFDNews) November 30, 2020 Have a story idea? Please contact me at [email protected] with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.