Fire Deals $35K Damage to Chelsea Woods Condominiums

Fast acting firefighters saved a burning building from being a total loss Saturday.

It all began around 4:30 p.m. when members of the Branchville Fire Volunteer Fire Company responded to 8423 Greenbelt Road for a fire. Fresh off of an earlier fire incident in Beltsville, the squad was able to quickly get to the scene.

Once there, they discovered a third-floor condominium completely engulfed by flames.

"Firefighters initiated an aggressive interior attack on the fire by stretching hose lines to the top floor and extinguishing the fire," reads an entry on the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department blog. As a result, most of the fire was extinguished less than 10 minutes after rescuers first arrived on the scene.

No one was inside the condominium at the time of the fire.

Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the condominium of origin. Despite this, 15 people, including seven children, living in the other six units in the building were displaced because utility services were shut off in the building. The Prince George's County Citizen Services Unit is working with condominium management to reopen the other units.

In all, about 35 fire and rescue personnel responded to the incident, including units from West Lanham Hills, Berwyn Heights, Greenbelt, Glenn Dale, College Park and Bowie.

The fire is believed to have started when some smoldering incense came in contact with combustible material inside. Damage is estimated at around $35,000.