Brush Fires Cause Damage Throughout Parts Of Md.
ODENTON, Md. (WJZ) -- Monday night's storm will bring some relief for firefighters across the state. Crews spent the weekend battling dangerous brush fires, fanned by high winds.
Derek Valcourt has the latest on the damage the flames caused.
The fires are long out but the smell of smoke is still heavy in the air. A lot of homeowners are now counting their blessings.
The damage in Odenton is evident. Brush fires fanned by Saturday's strong winds scorched some 600 acres. Monday, little was left but smoke for the curious drivers who came to see the aftermath for themselves.
"I'm really shocked to see the destruction of the area," said Judy Furlow.
But Roger Anderson saw it all first-hand.
"Everything around here was on fire and it was like, man, if there's a gate to hell, here it is," said Anderson.
Fire surrounded Anderson's house, coming within 30 yards before Anne Arundel County firefighters were able to stop it.
"The firefighters, the neighbors, friends and family, they did what they had to do to keep what little bit I had here, so I thank everybody," Anderson said.
"We lost a lot of sleep that night. We never went to sleep," said Jennifer Weaverling.
Weaverling is still in shock over how fast the flames surrounded her property.
"I was trapped inside the house and the driveway down there was blocked off from fire so I had a panic attack inside the house," Weaverling said.
She credits firefighters with saving her house, though they did lose a huge barn, a shed and more than 12 vehicles parked on her property.
With so much ground to cover, firefighters say they may never know where or how these fires started. The good news is that the light rain and snow expected overnight will help stop some of the minor flareups and smoldering.
To see a slideshow of the damage from this weekend's fires, click here.
