$350K In Damage Results From Forest Hill Townhouse Fire: Officials

FOREST HILL, MD — A townhouse fire broke out in Forest Hill on Friday morning, officials said.

Residents of the home in the 300 block of Betty Court discovered the fire before 7:30 a.m., according to investigators, who said it was believed to have started outside the home.

Both people inside escaped after finding the fire on the deck, which spread toward the roof and attic, officials said.

Crews from Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and surrounding areas responded to the blaze, according to authorities. No injuries were reported, Rich Gardiner of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company said.

It took 40 firefighters about 20 minutes to bring the two-alarm blaze under control, the fire marshal reported.

The fire began on the back deck, so the smoke alarm activated at the end-of-group, three-story townhouse, but the sprinklers did not as the flames spread to the attic and roof, investigators reported. Next door, the adjacent home had extensive water damage, according to the fire marshal.

Damage was estimated to be about $350,000, investigators reported. Friends and family are helping the people who lived there, officials said.

While the cause of the blaze remains under investigation, the fire marshal said discarded smoking materials could not be ruled out.