WASHINGTON – Six people and two dogs are without a home after a three-alarm fire destroyed two townhomes in Howard County Thursday morning.
Firefighters were called to a home in the 5400 block of Ring Dove Lane in Columbia about 10:15 a.m. for a report of the house fire.
The fire had engulfed a three-story unit at the end of the row of townhouses, triggering a second alarm. The extreme cold hindered fire crews’ efforts to fight the blaze and high winds spread the flames to an adjoining home, igniting a discarded Christmas tree, and resulting in a third alarm.
The fire caused significant structural damage and firefighters took safety precautions in case the building would collapse, according to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.
Three residents of the original fire escaped on their own. Three other residents plus two dogs were also displaced by the fire, the fire department says.
One person was injured due to an accident unrelated to the fire and one firefighter suffered a minor injury.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
