Howard Co. fire displaces 40 residents, injuring 2 people and killing 3 pets

Fire and rescue officials in Howard County, Maryland, have started investigating a Saturday morning fire in Elkridge that displaced dozens of residents, killed three pets and put a resident and a firefighter in the hospital.

Firefighters responded to the fire in the 6300 block of Orchard Club Drive just after 5 a.m., according to a news release from the department.

“Crews arrived within six minutes of the first 911 call and encountered fire conditions on the second, third and fourth floors of the structure,” spokeswoman Samantha Stanton said.

Officials said the fire was under control within an hour of firefighters from BWI Fire and Rescue, Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County arriving to the scene.

Fire shows through the roof of an Elkridge, Maryland, apartment building on July 27, 2024. (Courtesy Howard County Fire and Rescue Services)

Howard County, Maryland, firefighters work to fight flames that displaced dozens of Elkridge residents on July 27, 2024. (Courtesy Howard County Fire and Rescue Services)

Flames seen going through roof of building. — A bystander feet away from an early morning fire on July 27, 2024, in Elkridge, Maryland, captured photos of the fire as it burned through the apartment complex roof. (Courtesy Howard County Fire and Rescue Services)

Officials from Howard, Baltimore and Anne Arundel Counties were joined by BWI firefighters as they worked to cool embers at the Elkridge, Maryland, apartment building on July 27, 2024. (Courtesy Howard County Fire and Rescue Services)

Howard County Fire and Rescue officials fought the blaze for some hours on July 27, 2024, but the damage to 14 apartment homes was too much for Elkridge, Maryland, residents to return to. (Courtesy Howard County Fire and Rescue Services)

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Just before noon, officials identified 40 residents displaced as a result of the fire making 14 apartment homes uninhabitable.

“The American Red Cross is assisting these residents with temporary housing and other immediate needs,” Howard County said in a statement.

A firefighter and one person at the complex were hospitalized with injuries from the fire. A third person was evaluated by officials but did not receive hospital treatment.

Officials also identified three pets — two dogs and a cat — that died in the fire Saturday morning.

The department said the county fire marshal is working to figure out how the fire started and where it began.

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