Forest Hill Garage 'Was a Possible Meth Lab': Fire Marshal

The cause of a Forest Hill garage fire that drew 30 firefighters and the hazmat team Sunday night is under investigation, and the Harford County Sheriff’s Office is assisting due to the circumstances, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

“There is a possibility that it was a possible meth lab,” Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire told Patch of the garage where fire broke out Sunday before 8 p.m.

“Currently we’re working in conjunction with the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, and in our investigation we cannot rule that the fire may have been caused by a chemical reaction,” Alkire said.

At 7:53 p.m. on Sunday, the owner of the garage discovered the blaze in the 1300 block of Boggs Road and alerted authorities, the fire marshal reported.

Approximately 30 firefighters—from Fallston, Bel Air, Joppa-Magnolia, Jarrettsville and the Harford County hazardous materials team—worked for 45 minutes to bring the fire under control, the report said.

A portion of Boggs Road was closed during the investigation, Harford officials said Sunday evening.

The blaze caused $10,000 in structural damage, according to the fire marshal, who reported there was $5,000 in damage to the contents of the garage.

The two-story garage had living quarters upstairs, and there were people inside including the owner who realized there was a fire upon hearing the smoke alarm, Alkire said. “There are pieces of evidence indicating that there is possibly ... a meth lab in there,” he said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation Monday afternoon, the fire marshal reported. Hazardous materials teams had cleared the area, according to Alkire, who said nobody had been taken into custody in connection with the fire.

Photo Credit: Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company