Car's mechanical failure led to massive fire in Bel Air, investigators say

BEL AIR -- Clean-up is underway after a fire ripped through a home Tuesday in Harford County.

Firefighters responded to the fire on the 500 block of Adelaide Lane in Bel Air around 4:44 p.m. Investigators determined one of the homeowners' cars sparked the fire.

Fortunately, no one got hurt. 

The homeowners were evacuated in time and are staying with their daughter, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Workers boarded up the home on Wednesday and assessed the damage. 

The garage and part of the roof have essentially become a charred shell from the blaze.

Many neighbors who have lived in the community for decades say they have never seen a fire quite like that.

"I was cooking dinner and I heard a loud explosion," a neighbor said. "My son came inside and said the neighbor's house was on fire. "At that point, there was fire shooting out the top roof vents."

Master Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire said the fire started in the garage before spreading to the home's attic.

Crews who responded worked quickly to contain the fire where it already had spread.

"It just went up so quickly," a neighbor said. "The whole front of the house was on fire, the side was on fire, the siding was all melted, [fire] was coming out of the roof."

Investigators determined one of the homeowners' cars had a mechanical failure. The fire destroyed that and another car in the garage.

"The owner had just recently parked his car inside the garage. Our investigators determined that the Acura inside the house actually caused the fire," Alkire said.

The cost in damage is estimated to be around $500,000.

While the homeowners are getting some help from their daughter, neighbors are working to get them gift cards to help them get by.

"We're a small community here," a neighbor said.

More than 45 firefighters responded to this fire, getting it under control within 30 minutes.