Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Prince George's County fire officials are seeking the public's help in identifying the person responsible for a blaze that injured seven firefighters.
The Prince George’s County Fire Department (PGFD) is still seeking the arsonist responsible for setting fire to a vacant home in Riverdale almost one year ago, setting off a blaze that left seven firefighters injured. On Feb. 24, 2012, firefighters responded to a house fire at 6404 57th Ave. in Riverdale. While fighting the fire, a sudden gust of air swept through the house, creating “fireball-like” conditions inside the structure. The firefighters evacuated the house, but not before seven were injured. One of the firefighters, Bladensburg volunteer firefighter Sgt. Kevin O’Toole, 23, suffered second and third degree burns over 40 percent of his body in the blaze. O’Toole is still recovering from his injuries and has not been able to …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The school district plans to continue its project on a student-built home that broke out in fire.
Prince George's County Public Schools are "saddened and disappointed" by what appears to be an intentional fire at one of its student-built homes in Clinton, MD, spokesman Briant Coleman said. Two fires occurred in the same neighborhood within a week and have been ruled "suspicious" by the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department. One of the homes was no longer owned by the school system. "We sold it," said Coleman. As for the other home, he said, the work will go on. "Our students have been working extremely hard on this project, and we will continue to work closely with the Foundation for Applied Construction Technology for Students (FACTS) Board of Directors to ensure the project moves forward in spite of this devastating setback," …
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The fourth district congresswoman met with firefighters and their families Tuesday at the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-4th) met with four of the seven firefigthers injured in February's Riverdale Heights house blaze on Tuesday in a ceremony held at the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department. As commanders, fellow responders, and family members looked on, Edwards presented the firefighters with framed copies of the tribute she entered into the U.S. Congressional Record following the incident. Bladensburg volunteer firefighters Kevin O'Toole and Ethan Sorrell, Riverdale volunteer firefighter Michael McClary, and College Park Volunteer firefighter Ari Schloss were on hand for the event. Riverdale volunteer firefighters Michael Olszewski, Roberto Ramirez, and Michael Naples were unable to attend. In her remarks, Edwards hailed the "…
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
The seven were injured when a gust of wind swept through a burning house in February.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-4th) is set to meet next week with the seven firefighters injured while battling a Riverdale Heights house blaze in February. Family, coworkers, and command staff will also be in attendance for the event, scheduled for Tuesday, June 12 at 5 p.m. at the Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department (4213 Edmonston Rd.). On the night of Feb. 24, units responded to a report of heavy flames at 6404 57th Ave. As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze from inside, a gust of wind swept through the structure, creating "fireball-like conditions." Seven members of the Riverdale Fire Department and Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department were transported to Medstar Washington Hospital Center with burns, fractures, and other injuries…
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Seven firefighters were injured as a result of the February attack.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is now offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in connection with the Riverdale Heights arson attack that injured seven firefighters in February. On the night of Feb. 24, units responded to a report of heavy flames at 6404 57th Ave. As firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze from inside, a gust of wind swept through the structure, creating "fireball-like conditions." Seven members of the Riverdale Fire Department and Bladensburg Volunteer Fire Department were transported to Medstar Washington Hospital Center with burns, fractures, and other injuries. Two remained there for an extended period of time, the last of whom—Bladensburg Sgt. Kevin O'Toole—was finally…
Monday, April 23, 2012
Sgt. Kevin O'Toole, 21, was one of seven firefighters hospitalized on Feb. 24 when a gust of wind swept through a burning 57th Avenue home.
Bladensburg volunteer firefighter Kevin O'Toole was released from the hospital Friday after 55 days recovering from burns sustained in a Riverdale Heights house fire. Sgt. O'Toole, 21, was one of seven firefighters injured on Feb. 24 when a gust of wind swept through the home on 57th Avenue, creating "fireball-like" conditions inside. He was admitted to Medstar Washington Hospital Center that night with second and third-degree burns over 40 percent of his body. On Friday, his parents Jeff and Jane O'Toole, Bladensburg Fire Chief Randy Kuenzil, and an array of fellow firefighters joined O'Toole as he left the hospital aboard Truck 809 — the engine that had carried him away from the scene of the blaze two months earlier. O'Toole stopped to …
Friday, March 23, 2012
Officials believe Maurice Dews, 27, set some 18 fires across DC and the county from 2008 to 2011.
A District of Columbia man was sentenced to 15 years in prison Thursday after pleading guilty to three counts of first-degree arson in Prince George's County Circuit Court, the AP reports. Officials believe Maurice Dews, 27, set some 18 fires across DC and the county from 2008 to 2011. Dews was sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this month in DC Superior Court after pleading guilty to setting five fires in the district. One of those blazes left five DC firefighters injured, including Chuck Ryan, who serves as chief of the Riverdale Fire Department. Ryan spent several months in the hospital after suffering burns to over 30 percent of his body. Dews' prison terms will be served concurrently, according to the AP.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Maurice T. Dews was given 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of arson and assault last year.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Kevin O'Toole, 22, was able to raise his hands over his head in a physical therapy session last week.
Bladensburg volunteer firefighter Kevin O'Toole, 22, remains in critical but stable condition at the Washington Hospital Center over a week after suffering severe burns in a Riverdale house fire. According to Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department, O'Toole underwent several skin graft procedures last week and was given a thorough "scrubbing" of his burn injuries on Friday. O'Toole was also able to raise his hands over his head in a physical therapy session and is taking strolls around the hospital's burn unit with the help of a nurse and physical therapy staff. "Friends, family, co-workers and the DC Firefighters Burn Foundation continue to keep Kevin and his parents company as they progress through the …
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Gerard McBurnie Dixon, Jr., 23, of Bladensburg was arrested Wednesday by out-of-state law enforcement.
A former Riverdale volunteer firefighter has been charged with first-degree arson in connection with a 2008 blaze in Hyattsville, according to Prince George's County fire officials. Gerard McBurnie Dixon, Jr., 23, of Bladensburg was arrested Wednesday by out-of-state law enforcement and is awaiting extradition back to the county, PGFD spokesman Mark E. Brady said in a statement. Dixon is accused of "maliciously setting fire" to a home at 4504 Kennedy St., located just south of Riverdale Park in Hyattsville. On June 29, 2008 at 3:25 a.m., members of Riverdale Fire Department and nearby stations were called to the address after a report of a burning house. A firefighter sustained minor injuries while battling the heavy flames. Dixon was …
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12:39 pm on Monday, April 23, 2012
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