By Sophie Oriani
In the evening of Jan 14, a fire broke out at 2903 Hamilton St, in the building that once housed Lee’s Liquor. The building has been empty since Lee’s moved to a new location on Queens Chapel Rd.
Courtesy of Sophie Oriani
Well over a dozen emergency vehicles, including police vehicles and ambulances, responded from at least eight different stations, including stations as far away as Bowie and Montgomery County.
Ravinder Melhl, who owns the building, said a nearby business owner called her at around 6pm to tell her the building was on fire. Melhl, who has been looking for a new tenant, said she was last inside the building in late December and that there had been no problems.
Raul Rodriguez, who works at the nearby Joel’s Auto Sales, showed cell phone footage of firefighters at the door of the building just after 6pm. Rodriguez said the fire had started in the rear of the building.
According to a tweet posted by the Prince George’s County Fire Department, no one was inside the building, although one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
Hamilton St was closed in both directions as the firefighters battled the fire. After the fire was put out, the fire investigators arrived shortly before 8pm. Hamilton St has been reopened to traffic in both directions.
The cause of the fire has not yet been announced. This article will be updated if more information becomes available.
