OCEAN CITY – Two people escaped from a burning building in the city on Saturday, Oct. 26, after fire initially trapped them on a second-floor balcony.
According to information posted on the Ocean City Firefighters Association Facebook page, the Fire Department responded at around 8:30 a.m. that day to a structure fire at 16th and West avenues. Responding crews were advised there were two people trapped on the second-floor balcony.
The first personnel to arrive at the scene reported a heavy fire at a two-story, wood-framed, side-by-side duplex. Prior to fire apparatus arriving, the two people were able to get off the balcony with the help of city Police Department officers. A recall of off-duty firefighters was initiated to bring more firefighters to the blaze.
Truck 1, after it arrived, began an immediate search of the south side of the duplex, while Engine 1 focused its attack on the north side of the building, in the rear. Due to rapidly deteriorating interior conditions, Battalion 1 ordered crews out of the building.
At that time, the attack switched to defensive operations, using three hand lines and a ground monitor. Once the bulk of the fire had been knocked down, crews began an interior attack to extinguish remaining fire and start a salvage overhaul. The fire was under control after roughly 45 minutes.
While finishing a search, one firefighter was rescued off the second-floor deck as conditions rapidly deteriorated due to a propane tank explosion. He was able to self-rescue via a ground ladder extended by fellow members on scene, and was not injured.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. There were no reported injuries.
Longport Fire
On Sunday, Oct. 27, at about 4:15 p.m., the Fire Department’s B-Platoon Battalion 2, Engine 1, Truck 2 responded to Longport for a second-alarm structure fire assignment.
Crews worked for several hours with mutual aid companies locating and extinguishing fire within the structure.
