Darlington Fire Caused $20K in Damage, Officials Say

DARLINGTON, MD — The fire that broke out in a house on Main Street in Darlington Thursday afternoon has been ruled accidental. According to the fire marshal, a deterioration of the brick mortar in the chimney cracked and caused the blaze.

The fire began at approximately 1:12 p.m. while two contractors were working on renovations in the two-story home in the 1100 block of Main Street. They had been using the fireplace to stay warm when a passerby alerted them there was fire coming from the roof line, the fire marshal reported.

The workers ran a garden hose inside the home and attempted to contain the blaze to the attic until firefighters arrived, officials said. Approximately 25 firefighters responded and put out the fire within 10 minutes. They contained the fire to the attic and chimney, with heavy water damage to the floors underneath, according to the fire marshal, who estimated there was $25,000 in structural damage.

Nobody was injured. Main Street was temporarily closed Thursday during the firefighting activity between US 1 and MD 161.

Photos courtesy of the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

PREVIOUS REPORT — Main Street is shut down in Darlington Thursday afternoon due to a house fire, according to emergency officials.

At 1:30 p.m., crews from Harford and Cecil counties were battling a residential blaze in the 1100 block of Main Street in Darlington, according to Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.

Main Street was shut down at both ends, at MD 161 and US 1, Gardiner said.

Fire was through the roof when crews arrived, according to the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company.

Officials reported that nobody was injured in the fire, and a cause has not yet been determined.

Image via Shutterstock.