Accidental Apartment Fire Displaces Laurel Residents: Officials

LAUREL, MD — An accidental apartment fire displaced several Laurel residents on Thursday, Anne Arundel County officials announced. Nobody was hurt in the blaze, which started around 10:02 a.m. in the 3500 block of Laurel Fort Meade Road.

Firefighters said they found flames on a third-floor balcony on the west side of the Horizon Square Apartments, also known as The Elms at Laurel Park Apartments. Crews extinguished most of that fire, but the flames carried upstairs to the fourth- and fifth-floor apartments right above the original scene. First responders put out those fires too, preventing severe damage to the upstairs units.

A team of 90 controlled the two-alarm fire in about an hour, a press release said.

Officials said the six-story complex had functioning fire alarms, which sounded properly when pulled. Authorities did not estimate the value of the property damage. They are similarly investigating what caused the blaze and where it started.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department thanked these stations for assisting its response:

• Annapolis Fire Department
• Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Fire & Rescue Department
• Fort Meade Fire and Emergency Services
• Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services
• Prince George's County Fire/EMS Department.

The Anne Arundel County Police Department also responded, as did Baltimore Gas and Electric.

The American Red Cross will help find housing for the affected residents. Officials did not specify how many people were displaced.

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