Cause of Bel Air Townhouse Blaze Identified: Fire Marshal

Bel Air, MD — A townhouse fire Saturday afternoon in Bel Air caused $100,000 in damage, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

A neighbor discovered the blaze in the 500 block of Hanna Way at 3:21 p.m., and nearly three dozen firefighters came to the rescue to help put it out.

When first responders arrived, they saw fire coming from the back of a residence, according to Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.

Get the Bel Air Patch newsletter!

Crews from Bel Air, Fallston, Abingdon and Joppa-Magnolia helped extinguish the blaze at the middle-of-the-group townhouse, according to Gardiner.

Within 10 minutes, the fire marshal said the situation was under control.

The blaze was ruled accidental; investigators said that discarded smoking material caused the fire, which began on the back porch.

There was $50,000 in structural damage to the home. Approximately $50,000 worth of items inside the residence were also lost, according to officials.

Still from video of the July 16 fire by Lisa Delen, submitted to the Bel Air Patch Facebook page.