Henryton Hospital Fires Put Firefighters at Risk

The fire at Henryton Hospital that required the assistance of four counties, 48,000 gallons of water and a couple thousand feet of hose has become a familiar occurrence for local firefighters.

The location has always been a nuisance for the , said Bill Rehkopf, volunteer firefighter and public information officer.

Rehkopf has worked at the department for about 10 years. According to reports and Rehkopf's anecdotal experiences, fires have been breaking out at the abandoned hospital for at least that long. The last few years have seen a noted increase in frequency.

"And there are plenty of buildings on that property," he said. "They're not insignificant buildings. They're rather large."

There are 19 of them, part of a state-run facility originally created to treat patients with turbuculosis between the 1920s and 1940s, according to Maryland state archives. Originally the Henryton Tuberculosis Sanatorium, it became the Henryton State Hospital Center in 1963 and closed in 1985.

The incidents, which are rarely reported until they are big enough to be seen from afar, are further complicated by the fact that there are no hydrants available on the Henryton property, or throughout rural Sykesville.

Responders end up using a complex system of logistics to get water and vehicles in and out of the hospital's narrow driveways, Rehkopf said.

Several of the buildings have since sustained heavy fire damage, he said.

"It's a fad for these urban explorers and for those who fancy themselves ghost hunters — it's drawn people to it," Rehkopf said. "I love to explore things. I understand the attraction, but I don't think people understand how dangerous it is."

Young people looking for mischief and vagrants are also thought to frequent the buildings, he said.

He said the question of when to send a firefighter in warranted a discussion after officials noticed an uptick in larger fires.

Rehkopf said it comes down to the safety of the firefighter who may or may not have to enter a burning building to uphold the "defend life, then defend property" mantra. Most of the time, the department conducts a defensive, outside operation.

The department's biggest concern is whether firefighters will someday find that someone is in one of the buildings, he said.

It's unclear whether the fires pose an immediate threat to , which surrounds the small, triangle-shaped Henryton community.

The League of Maryland Horsemen owns land and stables down the road, where Saturday's fire was visible from the league's property, said Sue Hammond, first vice president at the League.

Firefighters contained the fire and Hammond reported there was no damage to the grounds.

"To be honest, this was the first time I'd heard about it," she said, when asked whether a fire had threatened the property before.

The state of Maryland owns the property, which spans 105 acres, according to a property data search on the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation website.

A state official from the Department of Health and Mental Hygene suggested in a 2007 Examiner article that some of the buildings have historical status, so permission to raze might be hard to obtain.

For Rehkopf and the Sykesville VFD, there's little to be done until the state legislature is back in session. It's unknown whether Gov. Martin O'Malley will call a special session since left much to be desired last week.

Rehkopf said the department has great cooperation from the state's local delegation, who have been advocating for action from the state, and want to be respectful of the process.

"From our standpoint, it's a dangerous place," he said. "Every time we go down there, there's a monetary cost to fight the fire. There's a danger to us responding and to whoever is down there at that time."

What are your thoughts on the continuing fires? Leave a comment or respond to the poll below.