$350K In Damage To Edgewood Home Sparked By Fire Involving Kitchen Appliance

EDGEWOOD, MD — Shortly before 6 a.m. Thursday, firefighters were called to an Edgewood home for a report of a house fire. Investigators are crediting a working smoke alarm for alerting the resident to the fire, who was able to safely escape.

The fire broke out around 5:58 a.m. Sept. 11 at the one-story, single family home located in the 300 block of Kennard Avenue. Around three dozen firefighters from the Abingdon Fire Company responded to the call for help and found a fire in the home's kitchen.

"The owner was asleep when she awoke to a smoke alarm and discovered a fire in her kitchen. She, her dog and her cats were able to escape and call 911. Deputy state fire marshals credit the smoke alarm for saving her and her pets' lives. Firefighters were able to contain the bulk of the fire to the kitchen; however, the home sustained extensive heat, smoke, soot and water damage," the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal reported.

Investigators said the cause of the fire appears to be a food dehydrator that malfunctioned. The home experienced $200,000 in damage and $150,000 in loss of contents, the state fire marshal's office disclosed.