Two Abingdon Firefighters Sustain Minor Injuries in Townhome Blaze; Smoking Materials Sparked Fire

Two members of the Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company sustained minor injuries in a Friday evening fire in Abingdon, according to the state fire marshal’s office.

The fire broke out in the exterior rear of a middle-of-the-group townhome on the 200 block of Maple Wreath Court in Abingdon shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday. A total of 40 firefighters from the Abingdon, Bel Air, Joppa , and Aberdeen Proving Ground fire departments brought the fire under control in about an hour.

The two firefighters were injured “while performing fire suppression activities,” fire officials said. One suffered a minor head injury from a hose line, while a second suffered from abdominal pains. Both were taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The fire was ruled accidental, and was traced to improperly discarded smoking materials. The fire caused $50,000 in damage to the home, and $20,000 in damages to its contents. A smoke alarm was present and working at the time of the fire.