Md. Firefighters Spent Weekend Battling Brush Fires
ODENTON, Md. (WJZ)—Firefighters are finally getting a break after battling brush fires across the state that were fanned by the weekend's high winds.
Firefighters were still out Monday morning monitoring hot spots to make sure no fires reignited.
Derek Valcourt shows us the aftermath of the fast-moving flames.
It has been an exhausting weekend for hundreds of firefighters in Maryland. In all, more than 2,000 acres burned across the state, causing millions of dollars worth of damage.
In Odenton, bulldozers from the Maryland Department of Forestry spent hours Sunday trying to stop the massive brush fire that Saturday's 50 mph winds fanned out of control in a matter of minutes.
"What they've done with these heavy-duty bulldozers is cut approximately a three-foot trough on the outside of the fire so it can't jump that fire line and continue on," said Captain James Rostek, Anne Arundel Fire Department.
It worked, stopping the fire but not before it burned some 600 acres of property, ruined some construction trailers, a few vehicles and even a nearly two century old unoccupied log cabin.
Luckily all of the occupied homes like Andy Meyer's were spared.
"There's a couple neighbors up the street. We were back in the woods with rakes and shovels putting it out, and we were able to stop it before it got to the back of my property," said Meyer, Odenton homeowner.
But in Prince George's County, some 12 homeowners weren't as fortunate. There, seven fires fanned by the winds burned more than 1,000 acres of property—including 300 acres of mulch piles in Laurel that forced firefighters to shut down I-95 for several hours.
In all, Prince George's County alone estimates $2 million worth of brush fire damage.
Luckily, there have been no reports of any injuries in any of these fires.
Click here to view fire photo gallery.
