Firefighters Knock Out House Fire

Update, 2:29 p.m.: An accidental house fire, which overtook a three-story house this morning, was sparked by a charcoal grill at the back of the property, said Maj. Paul Cruz.

The homeowners were using the grill the Sunday evening but Cruz was not immediately aware how the grill was cooled after use.

Due to the recent heat wave and the extent of the fire, a second alarm was called as firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, Cruz said.

A house nearby sustained minor damage to a deck because of the flames, Cruz said.

A firefighter was taken to a hospital for evaluation for heat stress, but the injuries were more related to the high temperatures and exhaustion and weren't life-threatening, Cruz said.

The inhabitants of a home at 5508 43rd Place in downtown Hyattsville made it out of the house safely from an early morning house fire, WUSA9 is reporting.

Prince George's County firefighters had the fire, which started before 3:15 a.m. Monday, under control by about 4 a.m.

A second alarm was called because of the heavy fire conditions — the flames hit all three floors of the structure — and the extremely high temperatures, Major Paul Cruz, a spokesman for the Prince George's County Fire Department, told WUSA9.

The department is now investigating the cause of the fire.

According to anywho.com the the owners of the fallen home are Ernest Jones and Tara Wilbank.

Kristina Iverson, a nearby resident of EYA's Arts District Hyattsville, saw some of the blaze.

"Very sad," she said. "... We don't know them but everyone on the street is very friendly when we walk by on regular walks. We saw the embers flying in the sky last night from our house and went down to see if we could talk with anyone around 3:45 a.m.

"Our neigborhood wanted to help [with] meals, clothes, etc.," she said.

Correction: Patch identified the homeowners through www.anywho.com, not the HVFD. We regret the error. Thanks to Dave Iannone for the heads up.