Around 2:30 p.m., Howard County Fire and Rescue tweeted that a barn and greenhouse had caught fire off Route 97.
The smoke from the fire was thick enough to close the nearby section of Route 97.
Within an hour, the smoke billowing up from the barn was large enough to show up on local weather radar.
Smoke from the #HowardCounty fire apparently being picked up on StormTeam4 Radar. Lots of radar beam being bounced off lots of particulates. @wtop @nbc4dc @nbcwashington #mdwx #daytonMD pic.twitter.com/emYEC2R25D
— Matt Ritter, WTOP Wx (@MetMattRitter) July 15, 2019
A civilian was injured in the course of the fire, but refused treatment and a firefighter also sustained an injury while containing the blaze.
No animals or dangerous chemicals were housed in the barn or greenhouse.
Shortly before 5 p.m., the Howard County Fire Department tweeted that the fire had been contained and placed under control.
The greenhouse and barn were completely consumed in the fire, Howard County Fire and EMS said.
#Smoke plume from #HowardCounty barn fire drifting downwind from the source near MD97, heading to #PineOrchard #ColumbiaMD and #EllicottCity. At this height the radar beam is hitting smoke at roughly 2,300 ft. pic.twitter.com/rhu82Uxcmp
— Matt Ritter, WTOP Wx (@MetMattRitter) July 15, 2019
The Howard County Fire and EMS Office of the Fire Marshal has started an investigation into the cause of the fire.
See map below for the area of Route 97 that will be closed to traffic:
