8501 Veterans Highway Millersville, MD 21108
Phone (410) 222-8200

  County Executive Steuart Pittman
Fire Chief Trisha L. Wolford
Media Release

July 6, 2020

Contact: Captain Russ Davies
410-222-8746 (Media Line)
Structural Collapse- Pasadena (Bodkin Plains)
 
Date:  Sunday, July 5, 2020
Time:  5:22 p.m.
Location/Address:   8376 Dunn Road, Pasadena, MD 21122
Type of Incident:   Structural Collapse
Description of Structure/Property:   Approximately 30-foot by 30-foot, one-story, detached garage
Injuries or Deaths:  Twenty-one people suffered injuries and were transported to four area hospitals
Assisting Agencies:  Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) Fire & Rescue Department, Maryland State Police Aviation Command
Number of Responding Firefighters: 74
Additional Information:   Firefighters responded to a 911 call reporting a large tree had fallen onto a 30-foot x 30-foot detached garage, occupied at the time by more than 20 people. Patients and witnesses said that the occupants were attending a child’s birthday party outside and sought shelter inside the garage when a storm hit the area. The first arriving firefighters encountered several injured patients who had been able to remove themselves from the structure. However, six patients were still trapped. Firefighters were able to assist three patients from the garage quickly. The remaining three patients were extricated by firefighters using cribbing, power tools, and airbags. All patients were removed within 45 minutes. Members of the Anne Arundel County Collapse Rescue Team then completed additional shoring of the garage and conducted a search to ensure that there were no remaining victims. No additional patients were found.

A total of 21 patients (age range of 2 to 78) were transported from the scene:
19 adult patients
2 pediatric patients

1 adult patient with critical injuries (not believed to be life-threatening)
6 patients with serious injuries
14 patients with minor injuries

The injured were transported to four area hospitals- UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, John Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center

All photos courtesy of Mike Hugg Media.
Fireworks Related Incidents- Countywide

The following fireworks-related incidents were reported on Saturday, July 4 th :

Injured Person- West River (Shady Oaks)
Firefighters responded to the 5300 block of Beauvoir Court at 7:42 p.m. for a report of a patient injured by fireworks. They located a 65-year-old male who was observing fireworks from about 50 feet away when one struck him in the eye. Paramedics transported him to the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Hospital with injuries that were serious but not believed life-threatening.
 
Dwelling Fire- Deale (Owings Beach)
Firefighters responded to a reported dwelling fire in the 800 block of Mason Avenue at 8:35 p.m. Firefighters arrived to find the occupant extinguishing a small fire on the roof of the single-family home. Firefighters completed the extinguishment and checked for any extension to the attic area. The investigation found the fire originated from the use of an illegal “flying lantern” from a nearby property. There was no structural damage to the home.
 
Injured Persons- Riviera Beach (Sunset Beach)
Firefighters responded to the area of Granada Road and Geneva Road at 9:38 p.m. for a report of two people injured by fireworks. A 46-year-old female and a 9-year-old female were watching an unlicensed fireworks show when they were hit by a firework. The older patient sustained facial injuries and the younger patient injuries to her arms and legs. Both patients declined transport to the hospital.

Injured Person- Millersville (Elvaton)
Firefighters responded to the 8200 block of Railroad Avenue at 9:51 p.m. for a report of a patient injured by fireworks. A 36-year-old male reported that a firework exploded in his hand. Paramedics transported him to the Curtis National Hand Center at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital with injuries that were serious but not believed life-threatening.

The department also responded to 18 reports of small outside fires between 5 p.m. and midnight.
Media Requests After-hours, Weekends and Holidays

The Public Information Officer can be reached on the Media Line at 410-222-8746 (8PIO). The Media Line is a landline that forwards your call to the cell phone of the PIO and therefore it does not accept text messages or display caller ID. When you call the Media Line, you must leave your name and a phone number to receive a return call. 

Please leave the nature of your request on the voicemail so the PIO can have that information ready for you on their return phone call. After 3 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends and holidays this service is available for active emergencies ("breaking news") only, including incidents with serious injuries, active fires or active special operations responses. The PIOs don't have access to fire statistics or incident updates evenings, weekends, and holidays. Those inquiries may be made Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.
If you have any information regarding fires or explosive incidents, please call (410)222-TIPS or use this form to submit an official report of any fire or explosive incident information.