Live Christmas Tree Catches On Fire: Officials

EDGEWATER, MD — Anne Arundel County firefighters battled two different blazes in Edgewater Jan. 19, including a fire that was sparked by a Christmas tree. One fire broke out Jan. 19 shortly before 8 a.m. at a home in Coxby Estates within Edgewater. A two-story, single-family home at 510 Hope Chapel Rd. sustained $175,000 damage after a live Christmas tree caught on fire that was positioned too close to a fireplace. A man who lives at the home told firefighters that he was cleaning the chimney and a wood stove when an ember landed on the Christmas tree and ignited it.

A one-story, single-family home with a basement at 1629 Riverdale Dr. in Edgewater was consumed with fire Jan. 19. Firefighters were called out at 9:34 p.m. after receiving several calls that the home's occupants were trapped. They found heavy fire conditions once on the scene, but all of the people in the home escaped without injured before firefighters arrived. The fire was found in the attic area and extinguished in approximately 15 minutes. The four people residing there have since been displaced and are being assisted by the Red Cross, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.