On Friday January 5th at 7:16a.m. units from Winfield and Sykesville were dispatched for a reported chimney fire in the 4800 Block of Bushey Road. Winfield's Engine 141 arrived on scene to find fire showing from the roof of a single-story, raised rancher style house and quickly upgraded the assignment to a box alarm. Duty 14 (Chief 14-2 Davis) arrived, established command, and quickly requested a Tanker Task Force and Rapid Intervention Dispatch. Crews initiated a transitional fire attack by first darkening the fire from the exterior and then moving to an interior fire attack.
The extreme low temperatures made it challenging for fire crews operating on the scene for several hours. Carroll County's Decon 30 unit was utilized along with two medic units to thaw out personnel and equipment before returning to work on overhaul of the structure.
An estimated $300,000 of damage according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal, however everyone was able to escape before the fire department's arrival.
