OCEAN CITY — A townhouse was severely damaged but only one minor injury was reported during a major residential fire on Jamestown Rd. in north Ocean City early Monday morning.
Around 2 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City Communications received a call coming from a three-unit, two-story townhouse on Jamestown Rd. in the area of 116th Street. The caller, who was in a neighboring unit, was awakened by a smoke detector and saw fire in a second-floor window.
The initial reports indicated occupants were trapped inside. However, all occupants had evacuated with the assistance of the Ocean City Police Department. The fire was quickly upgraded to a three-alarm event, but was later backed down to a two-alarm fire.
Arriving Ocean City Fire Department units quickly extinguished the blaze, limiting the most significant fire damage to the unit of origin. The OCFD was assisted by firefighters from Berlin, Bishopville, Selbyville, Millville and Bethany Beach.
Smoke and water damage was present throughout the unit of origin and adjacent units sustained water damage. In addition, a property to the east had vinyl siding melted due to the extreme heat of the fire.
Ocean City Emergency Management assisted the occupants of the unit in coordination with the Red Cross, which arrived on the scene shortly after the fire. One occupant suffered a mild injury, but did not require transport to a hospital and was treated on the scene by paramedics. The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ocean City Fire Marshal’s Office.