Residents Displaced, Rescued in 2 Kitchen Incidents

Two people were displaced and one woman hospitalized Sunday morning after a kitchen fire in Columbia and kitchen smoke reported in Ellicott City, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS).

At approximately 2:50 a.m. Sunday, HCDFRS responded to a "small grease fire in the kitchen" of a Columbia apartment complex.

With more than 30 firefighters and paramedics involved, the fire on the 5000 block of Columbia Road was out within 30 minutes, according to HCDFRS.

The tenant of the unit where the grease fire broke out and a downstairs neighbor were displaced due to smoke and water damage, said HCDFRS.

"You should NEVER use water to put out a grease fire," wrote Jackie Cutler, spokeswoman for HCDFRS, in a statement about the incident.

"Use a fire extinguisher or baking soda, and immediately call 911," said Cutler.

In a separate incident, a neighbor living in an Ellicott City apartment complex called 911 around midnight Sunday after hearing smoke detectors on the 3500 block of Court House Drive to report smoke in the kitchen, said HCDFRS.

Firefighters had to force entry to rescue an older woman who had been asleep on the couch, said HCDFRS, and she was taken to Howard County General Hospital for symptoms that were unrelated to the smoke.