Smoky Bethesda Rush-Hour Slowdown
The Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service fought an engine fire this afternoon at Montgomery Lane and Wisconsin Ave in Bethesda, MD. The automobile fire slowed traffic near the intersection, and hazy smoke clouded downtown Bethesda.
Above and below, Firefighter James Martinez, 20, directs the hose into and under the burning car.
In a phone interview later, Martinez explained how his responsibility was directing the hose lines, while other firefighters managed water supply and kept an eye out for trouble, such as spilling fuel. The risk of explosion was minimal. “It’s not like it happens in the movies,” he said.
The first unit to arrive was a truck that carries two-and-a-half gallons of water, according to another firefighter at Station 6 in Bethesda. The truck wouldn’t normally respond to an automobile fire, Martinez said, but the firefighters used the limited amount of water on the truck, jugs of water, and extinguishers to keep the fire under control until more units arrived.
Martinez, who lives in Damascus, MD, said he began firefighting five years ago at age fifteen with the Germantown Volunteer Fire Department. He said he was the youngest in his graduating class last May and is now a full-time firefighter at Glen Echo Fire Station 11. His truck, Engine 111, was near Bethesda after responding to a fire at the National Institutes of Health.
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