21 Injured When Tree Fell On Garage During Child's Birthday Party

PASADENA, MD — A tree fell on a garage during a child's birthday party on Sunday, hospitalizing 19 adults and two children, fire officials say. The injured people range in age from 2 to 78.

The party's attendees moved into the home's 900-square-foot detached garage when the showers started. As rain intensified, a tree uprooted and crashed into the garage around 5 p.m.

The storms were fairly isolated, Russ Davies, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesperson, said. Pasadena, however, weathered a brief, but powerful, storm.

"I came up from south county and never saw a drop of rain," Davies said. "For 8 or 10 minutes, it was pretty intense."

By the time firefighters arrived at the scene in the 8300 block of Dunn Road, six people were still trapped in the collapsed garage. Firefighters removed three of them with ease and rescued the final three within 45 minutes.

One adult patient suffered critical injuries, which fire officials believe are not life-threatening. Six have serious injuries, and 14 more have minor wounds.

The 21 people injured went to four nearby hospitals: the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

Four departments sent a combined 74 firefighters to the call. The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, BWI Fire & Rescue Department and the Maryland State Police Aviation Command helped the Anne Arundel County Fire Department's response.

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