Two Alarm Fire Damages Six-Bay Garage and Contents in Darlington; Firefighter Hospitalized for Heat Exhaustion

From the Office of the State Fire Marshal:

Deputy State Fire Marshals are investigating the cause of a two alarm fire inside the six bay garage located on the Richard Crouse Farm at 425 Darlington Road in Darlington, Maryland.

The 6:19 a.m. fire originated on the interior of a 2003 Windsor Monaco Motor Coach parked inside the secured garage. An estimated fifty firefighters from Darlington, Level, Susquehanna Hose and the Aberdeen Proving Grounds responded and controlled the blaze within approximately 30 minutes after arrival. The fire was contained within two bays of the six bay garage. A Darlington firefighter experienced heat exhaustion while on-scene and was transported by ambulance to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center for evaluation.

The motor coach sustained the most significant amount of fire damage with heat and smoke damage displayed on the interior of the garage and a truck attached to an enclosed car hauler for the Crouse Racing Team. Initial damage estimates for the structure and contents is $500,000. The cause for the fire remains under investigation at this time.