Police Investigate Loudon Avenue House Fire

Correction: This story corrects and clarifies that police have not said the fire is an arson.

Police and fire officials are investigating the February fire that destroyed a two-story home in Harwood Park.

Eleven people narrowly escaped the fire at 6345 Loudon Ave. in Elkridge, which was engulfed in flames the night of Feb. 18. Police would not say whether the 11 individuals lived at the home.

According to Howard County Police spokeswoman Elizabeth Schroen, the incident is being investigated as “domestic-related.”

In general terms, "domestic-related" means it "could’ve involved someone who was related to or in a relationship with the victims," said Schroen.

No criminal charges have been filed. 

Sixty firefighters from Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties responded to the blaze. Two people trapped in the house escaped the flames by jumping from a second-story ledge to safety, Schroen said.

One woman was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where she was treated for minor injuries and released, said Schroen. The others had escaped the home through the back window before officials arrived, reported witnesses.

An extended family of 11 had been renting the Loudon Avenue house, said Kim Fauth, who befriended some of the family members through a Hispanic ministry that is a project of Chapelgate Presbyterian Church in Marriottsville.

The group hailed from El Salvador, Mexico, Belize and other parts of Central America, she said.

Since the fire, friends, family members and leaders of the Hispanic ministry have housed the family.

For those interested in contributing to the relief effort, Fauth advised visiting the Hispanic ministry’s site.

This update corrects the headline and first and fifth paragraphs to clarify that arson has not been deemed the cause of the fire.