How the Maryland Army National Guard extinguished a 700-acre blaze in Owings Mills
BALTIMORE — Aerial support was crucial is extinguishing a 700-acre brush fire in Owings Mills Tuesday, according to the Maryland Army National Guard.
The 8-alarm fire caused more than two dozen homeowners to evacuate their properties, and was not fully contained until Wednesday morning.
Officials said that civil authorities requested support from the Maryland National Guard and the 29th Combat Aviation Brigade to help extinguish the blaze.
The Guard responded with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter carrying a 660-gallon water bucket suspended by cable. The water was picked up from the Liberty Reservoir, and dropped on the fire about a dozen times before crews deemed it too dark to proceed.
The next morning, aviation crews returned, this time with two helicopters carrying the same water buckets to conduct more drops. Over the span of two days, the aircrew dropped approximately 45 buckets of water to contain the fire and suppress the remaining hotspots.
"To reduce time away from aerial firefighting operations, Maryland Army National Guard Soldiers set up a temporary fuel point at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in nearby Reisterstown, so helicopters would not have to return to Weide Army Heliport at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Edgewood, Md," the Guard said.
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Firefighters contain large brush fire at Soldiers Delight Park in Owings Mills after evacuations
