News

Outside Fire - Third Point Road, Chestertown

Monday, December 9, 2019

On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at approximately 4:22 pm, the Chestertown Volunteer Fire Company was dispatched for an "Outside Fire" in the 10000 block of Third Point Road. This is located off John Carville Road near Great Oak Marina & Resort. Units arrived to find a brush fire, approximately 50' x 75', burning on the face of a bluff overlooking Fairlee Creek. This fire presented a unique challenge as it was completely inaccessible from the top and sides. We really couldn't see the fire. There were pedestrian steps down to the water, but the fire was located too far away for practical shore access.

For those unfamiliar with Kent County terrain, the Chesapeake Bay shoreline has increasingly taller bluffs as you move north towards the Sassafras River, then east along that river. It can be and is quite high, almost cliff-like in places. When incidents like this occur, we summon nearby marine firefighting resources to assist.

Boat 8 / Kent & Queen Annes Rescue Squad (also equipped for limited firefighting) and Queen Annes County Boat 1 (Kent Island VFC) was requested. Boat 8 was trailered to Great Oak and launched at the marina, but was not used. Queen Annes Boat 1 responded by water. It took them nearly 30 minutes to arrive. Boat 1 successfully deployed their deck mounted master stream to extinguish the fire.

We would like to give a shout-out to the Kent Island VFC for helping us with this incident. We recognize navigation on the Chesapeake Bay after dark can be a challenge. As it turns out, their most experienced boat operator was at the helm. They were able to respond and return home quickly and safely!

Organizations operating at this incident:

Chestertown VFC
Rock Hall VFC
Kent & Queen Annes Rescue Squad
Kent Island VFC