On Sunday, September 5, 2021, at approximately 1958 hours, Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department Company 2, Mechanicsville Volunteer Rescue Squad Company 29, Hollywood Volunteer Rescue Squad Company 79, Leonardtown Volunteer Rescue Squad Company 19, and St. Marys County Emergency Services Medic 18 were dispatched for the report of a deck collapse with several persons injured in the 40000 block of Leeland Road in Mechanicsville.

Chief 2 arrived on the scene to find a total of six persons reported to be on the deck at the time of the collapse, three adults and three pediatric patients. The deck was attached to the residence and suffered a semi lean-to collapse, where approximately one-quarter of the deck became detached from the wall of the house. The people on the deck at the time of the collapse fell in the direction of the collapse and subsequently from the deck to the ground approximately eight to ten feet. Four of the patients were in front of the house at the time of arrival and two patients moved into the basement of the residence. There were no persons trapped in the collapse area. During the collapse, a charcoal grill overturned spilling hot coals onto the deck and persons involved, as well as under the deck.

Fire and EMS personnel arrived and immediately started triaging patients as well as securing the scene to assess future collapse possibilities and extinguishing a small fire below the deck. EMS personnel triaged the patients and prepared them for transport. Three patients were transported to an area hospital with non-serious injuries, one patient was transported by MSP Trooper 7 for further evaluation to an area specialty hospital, and two patients refused transport after evaluation. The deck collapse was determined to not have caused any structural issues with the residence, and the area around the deck was taped off to provide a collapse area if further collapse took place. The scene was turned over to the residents and they were advised to avoid the area of the deck until a building engineer deemed it to be safe.