Fire safety info coming to neighborhood where 2 died; fire cause still under investigation

Hagerstown fire officials plan to distribute fire safety information Monday in the neighborhood around Noland Village, where two children died after an Oct. 7 fire that also injured two adults, according to Fire Chief Steve Lohr.

When a major fire occurs in the city, the department's After the Fire program deploys firefighters to the surrounding neighborhood to educate residents about what happened and how to keep themselves safe, Lohr said.

"We go door-knocking, generally in about a four-square-block area, to engage people in the neighborhood … with fire safety tips," he said.

If firefighters can't speak one-on-one with residents and hand them printed information, the packets are hung on their doors, Lohr said.

One flyer stresses the importance of having working smoke detectors and a fire escape plan.

There were at least two smoke detectors found in the Noland Village home after the fire there — one hardwired to a power supply and the other battery operated — but both were inoperable, according to Lohr.

"Nobody reported hearing a smoke detector working," Lohr said.

The ongoing investigation into the cause of the blaze includes determining why no smoke alarms sounded, he said.

Carter Ward, 2, and London Linton, 4, were pulled from the building by Hagerstown firefighters and taken to Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., where they died Oct. 10, according to a city news release and a family member.

The adults, identified by a family member as Dylan Ward and Taylor Fredette, were both hospitalized and later released, authorities said.

First responders arrived within minutes of the 7 p.m. alarm at 1036 Noland Drive, Court 5, Apt. G, and found a smoky fire in a rear bedroom and the children in a front bedroom. The children were in cardiac arrest when firefighters pulled them out five minutes later and passed them to EMS personnel, who immediately began advanced life support treatment, Lohr said earlier.

He commended them during an interview Thursday.

"I was crossing the railroad tracks on Wilson Boulevard when the first units were on the scene with smoke showing, and by the time I got there they had both babies out of the house," Lohr said.

"Those paramedics and EMTs that were on those two EMS units deserve as much credit as anybody on that call," he said. "They gave those kids every opportunity for life that was possible."

Authorities said the fire was quickly extinguished, and fire damage was contained to the bedroom and its contents.

Noland Village is a public housing community overseen by the Hagerstown Housing Authority.

Lohr and Hagerstown Fire Marshal Dale Fishack have said the investigation, with assistance from the resources of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, is expected to be lengthy.

'Videoing' impacts response to February fire

The cause of a Feb. 24 blaze at 320 Linganore Ave. that claimed three lives is also still under investigation, they said.

The victims were identified by city officials as Rodney Francis Brady Jr., 36; Hailie Elizabeth Conte Smith, 16, and Tarin Lei Mae Durham, 12. Two other people were hospitalized after the fire and one firefighter was treated for minor injuries.

Authorities determined the fire got an "unusual head start" because of a lag in time between when people saw the fire and when the first 911 call was made, according to an earlier news release.

Lohr recalled Thursday that the two-and-a-half story, wood-frame house was engulfed in flames when he arrived.

"When I turned into the block that night, there were no less than 30 people with their cellphones up videoing, and we only got two 911 calls," he said.

Lohr said anyone who sees a fire should stay away from it, immediately call 911 and don't assume that someone else has.

"That's a message we just have to get out," he said.

Smoke detectors available

The fire department can provide and install smoke detectors free of charge in single-family homes. Landlords are required by law to provide them in rental properties, according to Lohr.

Anyone who needs a smoke detector can call the fire department office at 301-791-2544.

Lohr said the department plans to restart its program that was suspended during the pandemic where firefighters canvass one-third of the city each year inspecting smoke detectors and providing information, batteries or the devices themselves when needed.

He added that old smoke detectors with 9-volt batteries should be replaced with the new type now required by law in Maryland that use lithium ion batteries designed to last 10 years.