Crime & Safety

Firefighters Battle Blaze In Joppa Woods

Shore Drive in Joppa was shut down Friday because of the number of emergency vehicles at the scene.

More than two dozen firefighters trudged a mile into Joppa woods last week to combat a fire.

The 25 volunteer firefighters had to go off road to access the fire, leaving the large engines and equipment behind.

Around 6:18 p.m. Friday, someone called 911 after seeing smoke coming from a wooded area near the 700 block of Shore Drive in the Rumsey Island area of Joppa, according to a release from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

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Firefighters from Joppa-Magnolia arrived a short time later, but fire engines were too big to drive off the main road. Crews instead used four wheel drive vehicles to get to the fire, located about a mile into the woods, according to the fire company.

About a quarter of an acre of leaves and plants were aflame, and firefighters used water to extinguish the flames and rakes to overturn any hidden fires, the release states.

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Shore Drive was shut down briefly at Joppa Farm Road because of the number of emergency vehicles at the scene. By 6:50 p.m. the fire was under control.

An officer from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources provided assistance at the scene and four wheel drive vehicles from Abingdon and White Marsh volunteer fire companies were also used.


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