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A cryptologic technician for the Navy Information Operations Command Maryland saved countless lives Sept. 30 when a two-alarm fire broke out at the Seven Oaks Apartments near Fort Meade.

Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class Bonnie McCammon, a resident of the complex and a volunteer firefighter, said she drove up to the site and saw smoke coming out of the peak of the roof.

"We were knocking on doors and seeing if the handles were open," McCammon said. "And anybody who didn't come out, we went into the apartment, cleared them and moved on to the next floor. We got everybody cleared out of the building before the first engine showed up."

Several NIOC Sailors were affected by the fire that damaged more than 20 units and took more than two dozen fire trucks to extinguish.

"The hardest part is watching people lose their homes because as the roof caught on fire, the whole of this went," McCammon said. "We actually took a few people into my apartment before the Red Cross got there, so we could all take care of each other."