From Darlene Townsend This two-story duplex home at 3209 Beaumont St. in Temple Hills caught fire Sunday night, injuring two occupants and two neighbors who came into the burning home and rescued an elderly man before firefighters arrived.

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From Darlene Townsend This two-story duplex home at 3209 Beaumont St. in Temple Hills caught fire Sunday night, injuring two occupants and two neighbors who came into the burning home and rescued an elderly man before firefighters arrived.

From Darlene Townsend This two-story duplex home at 3209 Beaumont St. in Temple Hills caught fire Sunday night, injuring two occupants and two neighbors who came into the burning home and rescued an elderly man before firefighters arrived.

 

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This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. Feb. 20, 2012.

When Temple Hills resident Darlene Townsend saw her neighbor came running out of his burning house Sunday night, he was covered in burns and lacerations.

“He was screaming that he was on fire and yelling, ‘Help! Help! Help!’” she said. “It was extremely chaotic. I never want to relive it.”

Townsend, who has basic first aid training, helped Chris Musser, who is in his 50s, after and had tried unsuccessfully to carry his elderly father, James Musser, from the burning Temple Hills duplex. While she helped, other neighbors came to the rescue and carried out James Musser.

Townsend said at least 12 neighbors were actively providing help during the incident.

“It was very rewarding what everybody did. There are so many people that deserve recognition that aren’t going to get it,” she said. “So many people banded together. It was remarkable.”

Four people were injured in the blaze at the two-story duplex in the 3200 block of Beaumont Street, where firefighters and paramedics responded around 8:15 p.m., said Mark Brady, chief spokesman for Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department.

Two neighbors ran into the burning home and found James Musser, who is in his 70s, and brought him to safety before firefighters arrived, Brady said.

Townsend said she put a tourniquet above Chris Musser’s wrist to stop the flow of bleeding, but said she couldn’t do much first aid because it was dark and was difficult to distinguish between burns and lacerations.

“The only thing I could do was basically take him down and control his shock,” she said.

Brady said incident commanders acknowledge the efforts of the “good Samaritans” for preventing what could have been more serious injuries to the occupants of the home.

“There is no question that the actions of these citizens are commendable not only for their heroic actions but also for the caring and compassion of neighbors helping neighbors,” he said.

The elderly man’s wife, Dona Musser, the house’s third occupant, fled the home after calling 911. She was not injured.

The call’s audio recording released by the county’s fire/EMS department depicts the incident from inside the home.

“There’s a fire in my house! My house is on fire!” she said during the call. “The stairs are on fire, help me! I can’t get my husband out!”

Firefighters from the Silver Hills Fire/EMS Station reported heavy smoke showing from the second floor. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire in about 15 minutes, preventing the fire from spreading to the attached duplex home, Brady said.

The two neighbors who went into the home, Gene Ward and Demitrius Handon, were evaluated and treated for minor injuries on scene, and the father and son were transported to a nearby burn unit for injuries.

The resident in his 50s sustained non-life-threatening lacerations and smoke inhalation injuries, and his father sustained non-life-threatening smoke inhalation injuries.

The County Citizen Services Unit and the American Red Cross are assisting the now-displaced family.

Delphine Morrison, 53, who lives across the street from the home that caught fire, said Monday she initially smelled smoke and came to her door to see the fire.

“There were flames coming right out of bedroom upstairs. Flames were just shooing out,” she said. “It started in the bedroom and happened upstairs, but I’m not sure what caused it.”

The cause of fire is still under investigation, Brady said, and the damage is estimated at $55,000.

djgross@gazette.net