Stove left on triggers morning gas response; crews handle multiple leaks, alarms and roadway hazards through the day
A gas leak call at 9:45 a.m. in the 200 block of Timber View Court became the most consequential incident Monday morning, sending a battalion chief and multiple engine and truck companies to an end-unit townhouse. Crews from PE23 and T50 arrived and, after establishing command with BC902, reported negative meter readings on the interior and said a slight odor had been noted during initial entry. Command held crews to investigate a kitchen appliance; at 10:11 a.m. BC902 reported crews confirmed a gas stove had been accidentally left on and that the situation had been mitigated. Units were placed back in service.
The gas call was one of several incidents that illustrated a busy day for Frederick County responders. Earlier in the morning, at 5:39 a.m., a pedestrian-struck call at Ballenger Run Boulevard and Ballenger Creek Pike brought A319, PE311 and EMS902. A319 reported on scene at 5:44 a.m. that the patient was up and walking and crews were assessing possible injuries; by 5:59 a.m. A319 reported transporting a Priority 3 patient to the hospital.
Commercial fire alarms produced repeated responses in downtown and business districts. Frederick High School generated two alarm responses within the hour — a 6:14 a.m. dispatch that had TT4 on scene investigating and, later at 7:13 a.m., E31 and T50 back at the 600 block of Carroll Parkway. In both instances crews reported nothing evident and ultimately described malfunctioning alarm systems that were reset after the alarm company was notified. Other commercial alarms through the day included a 7:32 a.m. accidental alarm at White Rabbit on Market Space Alley and several alarms in office and retail centers where crews reported normal exterior conditions or malfunctioning panels.
Utility and roadway issues stretched responders in the afternoon. At 10:16 a.m. crews confirmed a gas leak outside on the 8000 block of Hollow Reed Court in the Waterside neighborhood; E111 reported Washington Gas on scene and later that the leak had been secured. Around noon, units investigated a reported outside haze along I-70 westbound near mile marker 45 and found nothing after checking Hollow Road and the I-70 corridor. Mutual aid went both ways: Montgomery County requested assistance for wires down at Brown Church Road and Ridge Road at 12:55 p.m., and crews were listed on the run card.
Traffic and roadway hazards included a diesel fuel spill reported at 3:22 p.m. on I-70 westbound near Route 75 in New Market, where E152 reported a diesel slick starting about a half-mile west of Route 75 in the slow lane and attempted to follow the leaking vehicle. The spill trailed onto Exit 59, Meadow Road and east along Route 144 before crews could no longer follow it. Later in the afternoon, E152 removed a large tree branch lodged against a power line on Boyers Mill Road at Yeagertown Road and reopened the roadway after confirming the lines involved were communications lines.
Across the day crews logged a series of residential and commercial alarm calls, two separate gas-odor or leak investigations including a mutual-aid response into Montgomery County, and two vehicle-accident PD checks, one of which — an automatic crash notification on Reichs Ford Road at 4:36 p.m. — yielded no crash when units checked the area. Frederick County units placed equipment in service after mitigation or findings of negative meter readings in several investigations; verified updates in dispatch logs show crews repeatedly returning to service after confirming conditions or isolating malfunctions.