Photo by Jim Davis. Firefighters arrived in the 8500 block of Shelly Court in Bowie and encounted heavy fire coming from the two-story house.

Published on: Wednesday, February 20, 2013

By Jim Davis

Two Prince George’s County volunteer firefighters were injured Sunday battling an early morning house fire in Bowie.

The fire, in the 8500 block of Shelly Court, started around 12:45 a.m. Sunday, said Mark Brady, spokesman for Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

Firefighters reported heavy fire conditions emanating from the top floor of a two-story house with all residents out safely. Prior to fire units arriving on the scene, four adults and a child evacuated the house with their dog, Brady said.

Fire investigators said the fire likely started in the garage, extended to the second floor of the house and then to the attic before going through the roof.

As firefighters battled the blaze, one firefighter fell about one story to the ground. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated and released with minor injuries, Brady said.

A second firefighter sustained burns to her hand. Brady said she was treated and released from the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Burn Unit in Washington, D.C.

It took Bowie, Glenn Dale and West Lanham Hills firefighters about 45 minutes to extinguish the blaze, Brady said.

 “The house is pretty well gutted and totally damaged,” Brady said.

The house and its contents sustained an estimated $200,000 in damages, Brady said

The family was provided temporary shelter through the efforts of the County Citizens Services Unit and the American Red Cross, Brady said.