Residents Jumped from Second Floor To Escape House Fire in Elkridge (UPDATED)

UPDATED 2/19 at 8 a.m.

As flames ate through the first floor of their house, two males jumped from the second story of their Loudon Avenue home on Friday evening, resulting in one resident being transported to shock trauma, said Howard County Fire Battalion Chief Eric Proctor. As a result of the efforts to control the blaze, a Howard County police officer was also taken to an area hospital, Proctor said.

At 11:52 p.m., a neighbor called to report that there was a fire across the street on the 6300 block of Loudon Avenue, according to Proctor. The caller indicated that there were people trapped inside the home.

As firefighters arrived, they witnessed two adult males jump from the second floor of the house to escape, landing in the yard, said Proctor. In all, nine adults and one infant evacuated from the house, Proctor said in a statement released Saturday.

Upon medical evaluation, one of the men who jumped from the home refused treatment and the other was taken to University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, reported Proctor, for injuries resulting from the jump that were not life threatening.

A Howard County police officer was taken to Howard County General Hospital and treated for smoke inhalation, Proctor said in a statement.

Due to the heavy winds, the detached, two-story home was "heavily involved in fire" when crews arrived on the scene, said Proctor, with the entire first floor engulfed in flames and the fire spreading throughout. Approximately 60 firefighters responded to the incident, coming from Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties. While they worked to put out the fire, Loudon Avenue was closed to traffic.

By 1 a.m., the fire was under control.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, said Proctor, and the residents of the house are receiving assistance from the Red Cross.