Evening star., 1946-04-21
Forest Fires
Block Highway
To Annapolis
10000 Acres Burned;
$500 Fight Flames
Throughout State
pictures on Page ABB

A forest fire sweeping a five
mile-square area blocked De-
fenSe highway. abo,sv'I2 miles
west Of + annapolis for an hour
late least night and moved within
tsro miles of the Bowie race
track.
Part of the $500 fremen who
battled nearly 40 fires in Southern
Maryland throughout the day,
checked the eastward course of the
flames after they had jumped De-
fense Highway near the intersec-
ton with Grain Highway.
For an hour, whsle dense smoke
and flying sparks covered the road
motorists headed for Washington
were rerouted over a secondary road
about a mile from the fire. Flames
had moved quarter mile nearer
Annapolis along Defense Highway
before firemen halted them.
Number of Homes Destroyed.
A number of homes were reported
destroyed south of Odenton in Anne
Arundel County. where the biggest
fire started Among them was
home. three barns and garage on
the Waite fruit farm. Thousands
of peach trees also were burned.
The homes of Otto Myers and Harry
Shepard, farmers living near Oden-
ton, were destroyed.
With all fires checked except that
moving westward toward Bowie and
southeast toward Annapolis, OBJ
servers estimated at least half a
million dollars worth of pine and
oak had gone up in spectacular
flames.
State Forest Service men esti-
mated upward of 10000 acres had
burned during the day. Assistant
State Forester H. c. Buckingham
said 1t was the most critical fire
day Maryland has had since
records were kept from the forest
fire danger meter, a device indicat-
ing likelihood of fire.
Fires in Eight Counties.
Weary from a series of fires earlier
IN the week, the State Forestry
Service was alerted to the new
danger about 9 am. yesterday.
Within a few hours the men had
raging menace on their hands. From
the fire tower at Laurel, radio dis
patches sent 1000 Forest Service
men to 38 large and small fires in
eight counties. The most destruc-
tive were in Anne Arundel, Balti-
more, Howard and Prince Georges
, Counties. .----
Throughout the day all fire de-
partments in Anne Arundel and
Prince Georges Counties went into
action. Others joined them from
Montgomery County, the District
and Annapolis. They battled furi-
ously to save the towns of Ardmore,
in the heart of Prince Georges
County, and Glen Burnie, south of
Baltimore.
The Associated Press said IS
houses in the Mayfeld area in Anne
Arundel Country were destroyed. At
the Laurel station. Mr.. Bucking-
ham said he had heard of no de-
struction to homes.
Servicemen Fight Fires.
More than 1900 soldiers, sailors
and German prisoners of war from
Fort Meade and Annapolis Joined
IN the flre-lghting. AS the flames
veered west, threatening Bowie,
they were shifted to that sector.
The major fires broke out about
IA miles west of Annapolis at three
points. One originating at Mayfeld
was brought under control about 9
pm. Another breaking out near
the Pennsylvania Railroad about
Az miles south of Odenton swept
southeast toward Annapolis.
1t burned out about 1000 acres in
an area bounded by the Patuxent
River and Grain and Defense high
ways.
The third fire, originating near
Patuxent Station, joined the Oden-
ton fire after moving west toward
Bowie. Altogether, about 1000
acres of timberland had been
burned out in the area by pm.
% Miles From District.
The principal fire was about %
miles northeast of the District. An
other fire swept a mile square area
north of Ardmore road between the
Pennsylvania railroad tracks and
the George M. Palmer highway. At
one time it moved within 100 yards
of the town of Ardmore. Citizens
were ready to battle the flames,
The fire was only about 4 miles
from the District line when Ralph
w. Brown, superintendent of Prince
(See FIRES, Page A-9J