Riverside Condo Fire Caused $1 Million In Damage: Fire Marshal

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — A three-alarm fire near Belcamp early Thursday morning displaced 15 people and caused $1 million in damage, according to officials. One person was reportedly sent to the hospital as a result of the fire, which occurred at a condo complex off Riverside Parkway.

At 2:39 a.m., the Abingdon Fire Company and crews from surrounding fire companies were dispatched to the blaze in the 1200 block of Raven Wood Court, according to Jenn Chenworth, spokeswoman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.

A resident awoke to the smell of smoke and discovered a fire on her third-floor balcony, then alerted her family, activated the fire alarm to let the rest of the building know and escaped, officials said.

When firefighters arrived, they found flames coming from the roof of the three-story condominium building, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. There were people trapped, the fire company reported.

Abingdon firefighters rescued two people, and everyone else was able to evacuate on their own, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Approximately 50 firefighters responded and brought the blaze under control within an hour, officials said.

An engine and tower from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company remained on the scene of the Riverside Condominiums blaze until about 5 p.m., according to Rich Gardiner of the fire company.

Three engines from the Susquehanna Hose Company also assisted before returning to Havre de Grace around 4:30 a.m.

The Red Cross was helping the 15 people who were displaced, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

One firefighter was hospitalized with minor injuries as a result of the fire, according to WBAL, which said that the condo where the fire started was a complete loss. Nearby units had water and smoke damage.

There was an estimated $1 million in damage, according to the fire marshal; $500,000 was in structural damage, while items worth about $500,000 inside the condo building were also lost in the blaze.

The fire was ruled accidental due to discarded ashes from a fireplace.

Since fireplace ashes can ignite days after they have been discarded, people are encouraged to put them in a metal container, add water and store them outside away from structures on a concrete surface.

Photos of the active fire scene courtesy of the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Picture showing the aftermath, with the fire extinguished, courtesy of the Office of the State Fire Marshal.