Two-Alarm Fire Causes $5M Damage, 3 Aberdeen Townhomes Collapse

ABERDEEN, MD — The State Fire Marshal's office is investigating a blaze that caused three townhouses in Aberdeen to collapse, extensively damaged adjoining units, left an estimated $5 million in damage and injured a firefighter late Saturday night.

At around 10:45 p.m. multiple residents called 911 and reported hearing several explosions in the 4700 block of Witchhhazel Way in Aberdeen, according to a news release from the Office of the State Fire Marshal. Nearly 70 firefighters responded from Abingdon, Aberdeen, and surrounding departments to the two-alarm fire, which took around two hours to control.

The fire caused three of the homes to collapse, and the others sustained extensive fire, soot, and water damage. The heat from the fire was so intense it caused extensive heat-related damage to multiple other nearby homes.

One firefighter suffered a non-life-threatening medical issue, officials said.

According to investigators, 18 residents were displaced and are being assisted by Harford County Disaster Assistance and Red Cross.

A team of deputy state fire marshals worked throughout the night to determine the origin and cause. They concluded the fire began within the rear area of one of the middle units, but have not yet released a specific cause.

With the assistance of the Harford County Roads Department, they used heavy equipment to remove debris and vehicles that were destroyed because of the fire. The cause remains under investigation.

BGE disconnected the electricity and gas, and Harford County Building and Inspections condemned the block of the homes that was affected. Preliminary estimates for property loss are valued at 5 million dollars.