Mattress fire in Woodmore displaces five at county home

Smoke and flames from a mattress in a two-story Woodmore home displaced five people Friday afternoon, but Prince George’s County Fire and EMS crews had the blaze out within about 25 minutes. No injuries were reported, and county officials said the Prince George’s County Office of Homeland Security helped the three adults and two children who were forced out of the house.

Crews were dispatched around 4:50 p.m. to the 12400 block of Kingsview Street in the Prince George’s County community, where they found a mattress burning inside a two-story single-family home. By about 5:15 p.m., the fire was out. The incident drew a rapid response from PGFD and then a recovery role from Homeland Security, which says its mission includes saving lives, protecting property and assisting the public in times of need.

For the residents displaced from the home, the immediate aftermath centered on finding safe shelter and getting help from county emergency officials. The county’s Homeland Security office is responsible for assisting residents in times of need and coordinating emergency response and recovery, a role that becomes critical when a fire leaves a family without a place to stay.

The fire also serves as a reminder of how quickly a small indoor ignition can turn into a major disruption in a neighborhood like Woodmore. A mattress fire inside a single-family home can spread fast, and Friday’s case was contained before it caused injuries, but not before it uprooted five people from their home. In Prince George’s County, that means the difference between a routine call and an urgent housing problem can be only minutes.