Commercial 2nd Alarm in St. Mary's County
 
By Safety Officer Norman Bauer
December 21, 2018
 

At approximately 23:54 on December 20, Engine 72 was dispatched to 22599 MacArthur Blvd (San Souci Plaza off Rt 235 in California, MD) to assist St. Mary's County fire units on the second alarm commercial building fire. Engine 72, Safety 7, and Captain 7 responded to the shopping center. Upon arrival, the crew was initially tasked with pulling the drop-ceiling in vacant stores to check for extension. The crew then moved to the exterior and began pulling soffit in the veranda to open the roof area. The roof space above showed extensive fire damage and Engine 72's crew worked with the units operating on the roof to overhaul the space through the parapet walls. Engine 72's crew opened a handline to soak the crawlspace area above. Company 7 units operated for approximately an hour before being released by command. A special thank you to Mission BBQ for opening their doors at midnight for the crews to grab a refreshment during the operations.

 
Units: Engine 72 Safety Officer 7 Rescue Captain 7