Mountain Branch Building Blaze: Fire Marshal Determines Cause, Damage Estimate

JOPPA, MD — Christmas-style lights caused the blaze that left $10,000 in damage to the Mountain Branch Grille & Pub Sunday evening, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

At 5:35 p.m. on Sunday, officials said a passerby discovered the building fire in the 1800 block of Mountain Road in Joppa.

The fire alarm also activated, and within 20 minutes, 25 first responders had brought the blaze under control.

Crews from Abingdon, APG, Bel Air, Fallston, Kingsville and Level responded, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, which reported those first at the scene found flames coming from the cupola of the two-story restaurant.

Photo Credit: Lisa Wassum, courtesy of the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

There were no fire hydrants nearby, and MD 152 was closed for approximately one hour in the area so crews could control the situation, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

According to officials, the blaze began on the roof of the two-story wood-framed restaurant.

The cause was ruled accidental, "due to [an] unknown fault with Christmas-style lights," the fire marshal reported Tuesday morning.

There was $10,000 in structural damage, the fire marshal reported, and nobody was injured.

Mountain Branch reported on its Facebook page that there was "minimal damage," and staff expressed gratitude to first responders for their service.

Related: Building Fire At Mountain Branch Golf Course Under Investigation

Credit for main photos: Christine Sullivan, courtesy of Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company (No. 1-3); Lisa Wassum, courtesy of Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company (No. 4-5); and John Gallagher, courtesy of Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company (No. 6-7).