Firefighters make rescue at 3-alarm fire in Windsor Mill apartment building

BALTIMORE -- Firefighters rescued a resident Wednesday morning while responding to a three-alarm fire at an apartment building in Windsor Mill, the Baltimore County Fire Department said.

The rescued resident was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. No further injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The area of Rolling Road & Security Boulevard was closed for hours as firefighters battled the blaze.

Units responded around 6 a.m. to East Bend Court in the area of Tuscany Woods Apartments, where fire was showing from the second floor of a three-story building, officials said. Officials said the fire was put under control. shortly after 9 a.m.

More than 90 firefighters responded to the fire. It helped there were fire stations nearby, but the biggest challenge was getting people safely out of their apartments.

"Not only are we looking to put the fire out...but we're also trying to get people up and out of their beds who may not know this type of emergency's happening," said Baltimore County Fire Lt. Travis Francis.

Francis also said 30 apartment units were affected by the fire. Louis Ebhoaye, a building resident, told WJZ he was getting ready for work when someone knocked on his door screaming "get out, get out."

He didn't realize the gravity of the situation until firefighters pounded on his door.

"Come out, come out, come out," Ebhoaye recalled firefighters saying. "I thought maybe someone was dying."

The Red Cross said it is assisting 30 residents impacted by the fire Wednesday, and said the help would continue in the weeks to come.

"Trained volunteers are providing essential services--including food, water, financial resources, emotional support and the replacement of medications, according to need," the organization said.

The holiday season is typically a busy time for the Red Cross. This month alone, 27 families in Baltimore County have reached out to the organization because of fire-related emergencies. 

Francis has some holiday-specific reminders to prevent certain fires from happening to your home.

"Make sure your candles aren't near anything flammable. [Also] make sure you're not overloading any outlets with Christmas decorations, or charging different appliances and toys for the kids. Just be safe in the house," he said.

The Maryland Transit Administration also responded to this fire, providing a bus so displaced residents had a place to keep warm.