Bel Air Condo Blaze Traced To Chimney: Fire Marshal

BEL AIR, MD — Firefighters found flames through the roof Monday evening at a residence off Boulton Street in Bel Air, where officials said two families were displaced as a result.

The blaze at English Country Manor was initially reported as a chimney fire, according to Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association spokesman Rich Gardiner.

Crews tried to contain flames shooting from the exterior when they arrived, then went inside and pulled down the ceilings to ensure the blaze was out, officials reported.

By 9:15 p.m., the fire was declared under control. There were no injuries, according to Gardiner.

The fire started in the chimney flue and spread to the roof, the Office of the State Fire Marshal reported.

A neighbor advised the couple who lived in the condo in the 600 block of Churchill Road that there was a fire in the flue at 8:38 p.m., according to the fire marshal, who said a fire was burning in the fireplace at the time.

Approximately 50 firefighters from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company responded and contained the blaze to the flue and roof. The fire marshal said that there was significant water damage to the second-floor condo, and as a result, a total of four people from two condos were displaced and were being helped by Harford County Disaster Assistance.

Damage was estimated to be $50,000, according to the fire marshal; there was $30,000 in structural damage, while $20,000 worth of items inside were lost.

It was the second residential fire reported Monday in Bel Air. In the other, a cat was rescued from a one-alarm blaze at Country Village Apartments. That fire was caused by an electrical failure, officials reported.

Photo Credit: Frank Graziano, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company. Photo above by Harford Fire Blog, courtesy of the Office of the State Fire Marshal.