4 Harford County residents displaced from apartment after space heater sparks fire
An apartment and retail building in Harford County was damaged in a fire that was started by a space heater, according to the Maryland Fire Marshal's Office.
Officials said crews responded to the fire in the 2700 block of Conowingo Road after midnight on Friday.
The two-story building has a store on the first floor and an apartment on the second.
According to officials, a woman was woken up by her 7-year-old son who alerted her to a fire in their bedroom. The woman, her mother and her two kids, were able to escape along with their two dogs.
Crews were able to contain the fire in the bedroom and an adjacent room. There was heat, smoke and water damage through the second floor, officials said.
Recent Baltimore-area fires
There have been several fires reported in the Baltimore region so far during the winter season.
In January, a mother and son died in a mobile home fire where officials found seven heaters in the debris. Family members of the victims said they had purchased a kerosene heater the day before the fire to replace an older unit.
The fire prompted officials to share a warning about heaters inside homes.
"...tragedies like this remind us of the importance of fire safety, especially during the winter when the risks increase," said Acting State Fire Marshal Jason Mowbray. "I ask everyone to remain vigilant as we light our homes to stay warm."
At the end of January, a recycling plant fire sparked air quality concerns in Dundalk. The fire started at the Owl Metals recycling plant and smoldered for about a week as firefighters worked to keep it under control.
An elderly man was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure and some residents who lived near the site were asked to shelter in place.
Other residents raised concerns about the thick black smoke that remained in the area. The Maryland Department of the Environment eventually issued an air quality alert for the area.
Some neighbors had to take precautions due to the smoke.
On Christmas 2024, a man was found dead in the basement of a Harford County home after a fire.
The man was later identified as a 68-year-old father whose daughter said he was in a wheelchair and lived in the lower level of their home. His daughter, her 12-year-old son, and their turtle made it out of the home alive.
