Fire consumes several townhomes in Brandywine

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An investigation is underway to figure out what caused a massive fire overnight that damaged six townhouses in Brandywine.

The fire was reported at around 4 a.m. Thursday in the 7000 block of Chadds Ford Drive.

The front exterior of these homes on this street are now completely charred after being destroyed by the flames. All 18 people in these townhouses were not injured thanks to the quick actions of those who realized there was a fire and getting one another out safely.

"So I looked out of my window and I saw the house next to me was in flames," said William Davis Jr. "I immediately went and got my parents out of the house. When I came outside, the two units beside us were up in flames. Then within ten minutes after I got out of my house, our house went up in flames."

Photos of the fire show how the huge flames ripped through a row of townhouses on this street. Some residents said they heard the crackling and popping from the blaze.

"We got up, we had to run out of the front door," said Avis Davis. "Fire was shooting from the roof and we had to literally run through the front door. When I went to move my car, I just started blowing my horn hoping everybody who was in the houses would wake up."

The Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department said more than 100 firefighters helped fight the three-alarm fire. Crews had to deal with a broken fire hydrant, which delayed their efforts in knocking down the flames.

"They arrived and found fire showing from the front of four units literally from the ground to the roof - is what they told me," said Prince George's County Fire and EMS Chief Marc Bashoor. "Literally fire from the ground to the roof of all four of those units. Ultimately, those four units have been destroyed. Two additional units, one of either side, have been damaged."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The damage is estimated to be around $1 million.