Neighbors Helped Save Bel Air Home From Fire, Officials Say

BEL AIR, MD — Investigators are crediting neighbors with saving a Bel Air couple's home from a fire. The residents were not home at the time, so their neighbors sprang into action.

A neighbor discovered the fire in the 1400 block of Overlook Way and called 911 at 3:08 p.m. on Thursday, June 27, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

Meanwhile, another neighbor used the homeowners' garden hose to put out the flames, officials reported.

By the time firefighters arrived, the fire marshal said the blaze was out.

"Without that help, much more damage would have occurred," Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company said in a statement.

Officials determined the fire started behind the home, where it was contained to the exterior.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the fire marshal reported Friday, June 28.

There was $5,000 in structural damage to the home, officials estimated. Nobody was injured.

"Investigators credit the neighbors action in containing the fire," the fire marshal said in a statement.