Thursday April, 24 2014 @ 15:57:53

Nature: Structure Fire

Location: Mid Atlantic Family Practice

Address: 20251 John J Williams Hwy., Lewes, DE 19958

On Thursday, April 24th, the Indian River (80), Lewes (82) and many others were alerted to assist the Rehoboth Beach (86) Volunteer Fire Company with a working structure fire at Mid Atlantic Family Practice on John J. Williams Highway.

This structure was fully involved and did include an active medical practice with patients, medical office professionals, and others successfully evacuated at the time of the first arriving fire apparatus. The structure fire was quickly upgraded to a three alarm incident with many companies within Sussex County responding or standing by other fire stations in order make accommodations and provides the necessary fire suppression, rehabilitation, and ancillary operational support for the incident.

There was one firefighter injury associated with the incident.

Additional information will be provided as it is made available.  Ilustrated below are various links and websites with information regarding this incident:

Websites from other fire company response to the incident:

(A)  Lewes Fire Department - http://www.lewesfire.com/gallery/index?id=706 

News media websites and related information links:

(1)  WGMD Radio 92.7 – www.wgmd.com

http://wgmd.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=51&post_id=101311

Fire broke out at the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice on Route 24 west of Rehoboth around 3:45 this afternoon. Fire crews from Rehoboth, Lewes, Indian River and Milton were on the scene working to control the blaze which had flames shooting through the roof of the building, 

Director of the Mid Atlantic Family Practice, Gregory A. Bahtiarian, DO, FAAFP, in an exclusive to WGMD says the blaze started from a smoldering cigarette inside a cigarette disposal unit just outside the front door of the practice about 3:45 Thursday afternoon.  A patient reported fire to the front desk attendant who notified staff.  A bucket of water did not slow the growing flames and by the time a staff member arrived with a fire extinguisher the flames had been fanned by the wind and spread the flames to the shrubbery and front of the building.  All patients and staff were safely evacuated and Route 24 was closed to traffic.  Students and staff from Beacon Middle School were also evacuated 

(2) Cape Gazette – www.capegazette.com

http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/firefighter-hurt-as-fire-rips-medical-building/1172272

Firefighter hurt as fire rips medical building

Route 24 offices engulfed by flames, traffic snarled throughout area

One firefighter was hurt April 24 as fire companies battled a five-alarm blaze at the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice building on Route 24. The fire was reported about 3:45 p.m. and flames and heavy smoke engulfed the structure as firefighters arrived. Billowing smoke could be seen as far away as Route 1.

Beebe Healthcare officials said one firefighter was treated in the emergency department for non-life-threatening injuries.

Doctors with offices at Mid-Atlantic Family Practice are Jeffrey J. Heckert, Gregory A. Bahtiarian, Mark A. Sordi and Cathrine O. DeLuca. Nurse practitioner Helen A. Merrick and physician's assistant Aaron R. Block also work at the Lewes office. Mid-Atlantic Family Practice also has a office in Millsboro.

Route 24 was closed from Mulberry Knoll Road to Love Creek. Traffic is backed up on many nearby routes; the public is advised to avoid the area.

(3) Delaware 105.9 Radio – www.delaware105p.com

http://www.delaware1059.com/story.php?id=8748

Breaking: Fire at the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice building

By Joe Irizarry

Updated Thursday, April 24, 2014 - 6:13pm

The Mid-Atlantic Family Practice building in Lewes is on fire.

Fire is through the roof and over 50% of building, and it's extended to a brush area near the two-story building.

Route 24 between Love Creek and the Beacon Middle School is closed because of the blaze.

Both the Lewes and Rehoboth Beach Fire Department's are on the scene battling the fire.

http://www.delaware1059.com/story.php?id=8750

Thursday, April 24, 2014 - 5:31pm
UPDATE: Mid-Atlantic Family Practice building gutted by fire

By  Mark Fowser and Joe Irizarry

Updated Thursday, April 24, 2014 - 6:20pm

The Mid-Atlantic Family Practice building may be a total loss, following a fire that erupted at the building on Route 24 in the Lewes area.

The blaze broke out late Thursday afternoon, sending flames and heavy smoke pouring from the two-story structure.

A number of doctor's offices were located there.

Delaware1059's Joe Irizarry tells us traffic is still blocked off on Route 24 at Beacon Middle School. 

(4) WBOC TV Channel - www.wboc.com

http://www.wboc.com/story/25334490/fire-at-mid-atlantic-family-practice-in-lewes-closes-rt-24

Fire Destroys Mid-Atlantic Family Practice in Lewes

Posted: Apr 24, 2014 5:13 PM EDT - Thursday, April 24, 2014 5:13 PM EDT

LEWES, Del. - A firefighter was injured while helping to battling a blaze at the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice office on Route 24 in Lewes at 3:45 p.m. Thursday afternoon. The firefighter was taken to Beebe Healthcare with minor injuries. Heavy black smoke was seen billowing from the building for miles prompting the Delaware Department of Transportation to close Rt. 24 for a period of time.

According to firefighters, five doctors were in the building along with many Physician's Assistants and other staff. Firefighters say everyone was able to get out of the building safely. The practice is occupied by Jeffrey J Heckert-MD, Gregory A Bahtiarian-DO, Mark A Sordi-MD, Carmelo DiSalvo-MD, Catherine O DeLuca-MD, Helen A Merrick, FNP-BC, and Aaron R Block, PA-C, MHS.

Firefighters say much of the building collapsed, and is believed to be a total loss. At one point firefighters were concerned the flames spread to a barn adjacent to the property, but they say it didn't catch fire.

There is no official word on a cause of the fire at this time. However, witnesses told a WBOC reporter smoke was reportedly seen outside of the building in a nearby bush, just before the entire building caught fire.

A red flag warning was in effect for some parts of Delmarva Thursday afternoon, meaning gusty winds along with low humidity could lead to the potential for fire to spread rapidly.

Fire companies from Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Georgetown, Indian River, Millsboro, and Millville assisted in putting out the fire. 

(5)  WMDT TV – www.wmdt.com

http://www.wmdt.com/story/25335966/update-large-structure-fire-in-lewes

UPDATE Large Structure Fire In Lewes

Apr 24, 2014 7:22 PM EDT

By Gabriella Cole

LEWES, DELAWARE - LEWES, Del. - Investigators are working on determining the cause of a large structure fire at the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice in Lewes.

Police tell 47 ABC they received the call on Thursday around 4 p.m. Up to nine crews responded to the 3-alarm fire, and worked until nearly 7 p.m. to extinguish what was left of the smoldering building.

Dr. Jeffrey Heckert watched as the building in which he worked for almost nine years went up in flames.

"Well, we have a great team and have been able to rally around things in the past and been able to overcome those," Heckert said. "This is an obstacle, and it's a big one."

He estimates the practice, which has an office in Millsboro, has nearly 15,000 patients. All of their medical records are stored electronically, which will allow them to reopen in a temporary location soon.

"We hope to be up and running by Monday," Heckert said. "This is primary care, this is what we do."

One person was injured, but it is unconfirmed if the injuries are related to the fire.

The day after activities when clean up commences....

http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/p/mid-atlantic-damage-estimated-at-1-million/1172272

UPDATE

Mid-Atlantic damage estimated at $1 million

Cause of five-alarm fire under investigation

Doctors and employees of the Mid-Atlantic Family Practice regrouped April 25 after a five-alarm fire destroyed the Route 24 facility a day earlier.

"We're thankful everyone got out safely and no one was hurt," said Gregory Bahtiarian, a physician with the practice.

The fire started at about 3:45 p.m. at the Route 24 facility and took a few minutes to engulf the building, he said.

"We knew something caught fire in a mulch pile. By the time I went out with a fire extinguisher the whole wall was on fire," Bahtiarian said.

Employee Allison Funds said she was one of the first to see the fire. She said she tried to douse the fire with water, but the fire spread quickly to the building. When the windows started breaking, employees knew it was out of control.

"There was some rumbling going on, and I got on the intercom yelling at the three girls upstairs to get down," she said.

There were about 30 people in the building at the time of the fire - patients in rooms waiting to be seen as well as some in the waiting room, she said.

"I went through twice to make sure there were no patients left," Funds said.

Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Harry Miller said he is still reviewing information gathered after the blaze caused an estimated $1 million in damages.

"It's not a cut-and-dried cigarette fire," he said. "I need to do follow-up and see if it backs up a cigarette theory."

Miller said he intends to interview witnesses a second time, because often stories change from the first interview. "People are upset when you first interview them, but then they calm down and you may get more information," he said.

"I have to reinterview before I have a theory on how it started," he said.

Heavy winds and dry conditions surely stoked the fire that engulfed the medical building in heavy smoke and flames, Miller said. Billowing smoke could be seen as far away as Route 1.

Several tankers arrived at the scene to help extinguish the flames, and a line was also run from a nearby retention pond, Miller said. As more firefighters arrived, hoses were run about a quarter mile away to fire hydrants down Route 24, he said.

Staff and patients were safely evacuated; one firefighter was treated at Beebe Healthcare April 24 for what Lewes Fire Company Public Information Officer Glenn Marshall said was a broken foot.

The offices of Mid-Atlantic Family Practice in Lewes and Millsboro are both closed today. The practice includes doctors Bahtiarian, Jeffrey J. Heckert, Mark A. Sordi and Cathrine O. DeLuca. Nurse practitioner Helen A. Merrick and physician's assistant Aaron R. Block also work at the Lewes office.

The morning after the fire, crews were on hand boarding up windows and working to salvage items from the debris. Bahtiarian said the practice lost computers and servers, but thankfully information is backed up at other locations.

He said the practice will relocate to Millsboro until they can rebuild at the Route 24 location.

The practice operates a facility in Millsboro, and some staff will work out of that office while others will see patients at a temporary site across the street, he said. Phone lines will be transferred to the Millsboro office so Lewes patients can still use the Lewes office number, Bahtiarian said.

Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company was the first to respond to the scene, quickly joined by Lewes Fire Department and Indian River Volunteer Fire Company as well as Milton Volunteer Fire Department, Georgetown Volunteer Fire Company and Millsboro Fire Company. Also responding were Dagsboro, Bethany Beach, Slaughter Beach, Gumboro and Roxana fire companies. Sussex Emergency Operations Center officials said a total of 15 fire companies were on the scene or on standby for companies that were battling the fire.