Bel Air family displaced by blaze

Jeffrey Alderton

CRESAPTOWN — Fire stemming from a faulty clothes dryer left a Bel Air subdivision family homeless early Friday afternoon.

The 12:06 p.m. incident at 14704 McGill Dr. destroyed the single-story home of James Hedrick and his family. There were no injuries.

“There was heavy fire coming out the back of the structure when we arrived,” said Capt. John Pratt of the Cresaptown Volunteer Fire Company.

Pratt and two other volunteer firefighters made sure the occupants were out of the residence before they connected a hose line and began an exterior attack.

“We also protected the exposures,” said Pratt. Neighbors’ residences on either side and a nearby propane tank were not damaged as a result of the firefighting operation.

Deputy State Fire Marshals Mike Mattingly and Ryan Chapman reported the fire occurred when a “heating element in an electric dryer malfunctioned.” The fire originated in a laundry room near the kitchen.

Pratt said the structure was destroyed, a loss the fire marshal’s office placed at $120,000 to the residence and its contents.

A call to the Allegany County 911 Joint Communication Division brought approximately 50 firefighters to the scene for several hours. An unidentified occupant discovered the fire, according to investigators.

The number of occupants and their identities were not available. Pratt said federal privacy regulations would not allow him to identify the occupants.

However, officials said the American Red Cross provided assistance and the family is staying with relatives.

“Everybody did a great job and nobody got hurt,” said Pratt. “That’s the main thing for us.”

In addition to Cresaptown, fire companies from LaVale, Rawlings, Bowling Green, McCoole, Short Gap, W.Va., and Shaft responded along with Cresaptown ambulance and LaVale Rescue Squad. Ridgeley (W.Va.) Volunteer Fire Company stood by at the Cresaptown station during the incident.

Contact Jeffrey Alderton at jlalderton@times-news.com.