Prince George's firefighters usually work with water. But on Friday afternoon, they were called to a house so packed with combustibles, they had to use foam to put the fire out.
The fire broke out shortly before 6 p.m. in a duplex in the 3400 block of Webster Street in Brentwood. By the time firefighters arrived, the blaze had spread to both floors in one of the duplex's homes.
According to authorities, the firefighters had difficulty getting into the home, since it was full of so-called "Class A" combustibles, a category which covers wood, cloth, and rubber. Officials did not specify precisely what was inside the building.
Firefighters were forced to evacuate the home due to the hoarder conditions before returning with the foam. Foam is used in particularly intense fires to cool and smother the fire, denying it oxygen.
No injuries were reported, though the occupant of the duplex was displaced. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and the loss is estimated to be $25,000.
