Girl in Critical Condition from Joppa Camper Blaze: Fire Marshal

Photos provided by Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

Two people were taken to the hospital from a fire in Joppa Friday morning, the cause of which remains under investigation, officials said.

One of the victims was an 11-year-old girl who is in critical condition due to smoke inhalation, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

At 12:58 a.m. on Friday, a passerby reported the fire in the 1100 block of Mountain Road in Joppa, according to the fire marshal.

Within two minutes, a fire engine from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company arrived, the fire company reported.

Firefighters found a 42-foot recreational camper ablaze, according to the fire marshal.

“Because the camper was not on a main road, the fire engine could only get within 300 feet,” Joppa-Magnolia reported. “Firefighters used fire hoses and water from the fire engine to start extinguishing the fire while other firefighters began to search for trapped occupants.”

The crew located an 11-year-old girl who was unconscious in a rear bedroom, the fire marshal reported.

The girl was not breathing, and Joppa-Magnolia paramedics provided advanced life support measures including CPR, according to the fire company.

She was taken to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in critical condition due to smoke inhalation and then transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital for continued treatment, the fire marshal reported.

Her parents were both at work when the fire broke out, the report said.

A Joppa-Magnolia firefighter was also taken to the hospital with a minor hand injury, and he was treated and released Friday morning, according to the fire company.

The blaze was placed under control within 20 minutes, with the assistance of 43 firefighters from Abingdon, Kingsville, White Marsh and Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to Joppa-Magnolia, which was first at the scene.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation, according to the fire marshal.