CAPITOL HEIGHTs, Md. (WJLA) – Four people were able to safely escape a fire that destroyed a home in Capitol Heights early Tuesday morning, officials say.
It’s unclear if one other person who occasionally lives at the home was inside when flames broke out about 4 a.m. in the 700 block of Mentor Avenue.
Due to the intensity of the fire on both floors and the safety of the firefighters, crews had to initially fight the fire from the outside. Floors inside the home eventually collapsed down to the basement.
It required over an hour to knock down the bulk of the fire. Firefighters moved inside the home once utility crews shut off the power source.
The house of origin is a total loss, however, firefighters were successful in protecting the neighbors’ homes.
An ABC7 News crew at the scene reports the home was fully engulfed in flames, and smoke was still pouring from the windows and roof two hours after the fire began.
A neighbor, who called 911, says she heard the windows breaking and saw huge flames coming from the back of the house.
Prince George’s County Fire reports no civilians or firefighters were injured, but the occasional tenant is listed as unaccounted for so far. A dog died in the fire.
The cause remains under investigation.
