14 people hospitalized, 20 displaced after Baltimore County apartment fire

Fourteen people were hospitalized, and more than 20 were displaced after a three-alarm fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building in Towson Monday night, according to Baltimore County Fire officials. 

The fire happened around 7:30 p.m. at the Berkshires Apartment Complex in the 200 block of E. Joppa Road. Officials said multiple people had to be rescued from the building as smoke spread on several floors. 

Bureau Chief Travis Francis with the Baltimore County Fire Marshal's Office said 15 apartments were vacated and 22 residents were displaced as a result of the fire.

Fire officials said the three-alarm fire started in a recycling area on the third floor of the building.

Video posted on social media shows extensive smoke damage inside the building.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Residents react to apartment fire 

Roommates John and Sean said they were getting ready to watch football when they heard screaming in their hallway.

"I said okay, it sounded a bit urgent, and I opened it u,p and black smoke, gray smoke just kind of enveloped my whole area," John said.

Within minutes, smoke had traveled upward, overwhelming the hallway on the 10th floor where John and Sean live.

"The whole hallway was completely black. It was hard to see," Sean said.

Smoke inhalation and injuries 

Chief Joseph Dixon with the Baltimore County Fire Department said smoke was a huge concern.

"Smoke can become just as much of a hazard in some cases or a threat to life as fire," Dixon said.

Francis said all 14 people taken to the hospital suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

"Injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to one person that had an ankle injury that may have slipped on the ice as they got out of the building," Francis said.

Officials said most of the damage was contained to the second, third and fourth floors. 

While smoke alarms did activate, investigators are still looking into additional concerns related to the building. Francis said he could not specify those concerns because the investigation is ongoing.

"We are happy to report that they are working with us. We have implemented a 24-hour independent fire watch here at the building," Francis said.

That means an independent company will be on-site around the clock to monitor the building while fire protection systems are repaired.

Fire-related deaths in Baltimore County 

Baltimore County has recorded several devastating fires within the first month of 2026, including three fire-related deaths.

Two young children, ages 6 months and 4 years, were killed in fires in early January.

On Jan. 16, 6-month-old Sophia Rivera-Cortes died, and three other people were hospitalized following a fire in the 1000 block of Foxcroft Lane in Essex.

Earlier in January, 4-year-old Wyatt Martin died after a fire in the 100 block of Comet Court in Parkville.

On Jan. 4, a 76-year-old woman, identified as Julia Ann Anderson, died following a fire in the 1700 block of Weston Avenue in Parkville.

The Baltimore County Fire Department reported four fire deaths in 2025. The county had 13 fire-related deaths in 2023 and nine in 2024.