Princess Anne, MD – A devastating fire swept through a one-story, wood-frame single-family dwelling at 29016 Polks Road in Princess Anne, Somerset County, yesterday at approximately 5:01 p.m. The residence, owned by Robert and Shelia Lankford, was unoccupied at the time of the incident, ensuring there were no injuries or fatalities.
The fire, which took the Mt. Vernon Volunteer Fire Department two hours to control, drew a response from 27 firefighters after being reported by a neighbor. The blaze originated in the crawl space under the structure, with preliminary investigations pointing to an electrical failure as the accidental cause.
Despite the presence of smoke alarms in the home, it remains unclear whether they were activated, as the owners were not present during the incident. The property lacked fire sprinklers, contributing to the rapid spread of the fire which resulted in an estimated loss of $100,000 for the structure and an additional $30,000 for the contents.
The Lankford family is currently being assisted by the American Red Cross and relatives, as they navigate the aftermath of this unfortunate event.