Edgewood House Explosion: Fire Marshal Gives All Clear

EDGEWOOD, MD — One person was hospitalized after a gas explosion in Edgewood Sunday night, and his two dogs were being cared for while he recovers, according to officials.

Three houses in the 2500 block of Thornberry Drive caught fire, including one in the middle that authorities said was leveled.

The gas explosion occurred in the area of the kitchen of the home that was destroyed, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

"The cause is under investigation," fire investigators reported Monday afternoon, noting they had cleared the scene after 12:15 p.m. "BGE has secured the gas line and assures the community is safe."

The homeowner was hospitalized and is in critical but stable condition, officials said.

#UPDATE - DSFMs remain on the scene and continue to look for the cause of last nights house explosion in Edgewood. Investigators are working w/ @MyBGE. At this time, we can report the explosion occurred within the home. The owner was discovered at the rear of the home. pic.twitter.com/5AdeoIL7Ie
— Maryland State Fire Marshal (@MarylandOSFM) October 11, 2021

At 9:19 p.m., Harford County emergency personnel said they were called to the 2500 block of Thornberry Drive for a reported explosion with house fire.

Firefighters arrived at 9:26 p.m. to find a single-family home engulfed in flames and two adjacent homes ablaze, according to Jenn Chenworth, spokesperson for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association. Crews from Harford and Baltimore counties responded, led by crews from the Abingdon Fire Company, she said.

One person remains hospitalized after an explosion in #Edgewood last night.#jmvfc8 update report can be found here: https://t.co/vaj4HasJLs pic.twitter.com/x3ZbS4wq52
— Joppa-Magnolia VFC (@jmvfc8) October 11, 2021

Streets were covered in debris, one home was swallowed by flames, and two others were catching fire when Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company Assistant Chief Kevin Thomas got there. He was the first at the scene, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company.

Crews from Abingdon, Aberdeen and Aberdeen Proving Ground were part of the initial response, and firefighters from Kingsville and Bel Air were called to help douse the flames, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

It took an hour to bring the blaze — which was fed by gas — under control, according to the fire company, which reported BGE turned off the gas and was assisting in the investigation.

Debris was reported several blocks away, and fire officials advised residents to leave it in place so investigators could process it as part of the probe.

One person who had been inside the home at the time of the explosion was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal. The person was able to get out without assistance, investigators reported.

The Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company said its crew took the victim to the burn unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center.

While the houses on either side of the explosion were damaged, nobody inside those residences was injured, officials said.

A neighbor took one of the owner's dogs, who was slightly injured, to the Animal Emergency Hospital of Bel Air, according to the fire marshal.

As BGE and the fire marshal were investigating the cause of the incident, officials said the owner's second dog crawled out from the rubble after 7:45 a.m. on Monday.

"While shaken up, she appears to be in good spirits and K9 Kachina is being a supportive dog sister in the meantime," the fire marshal reported, noting she was taken to a K-9 handler's vehicle until animal control personnel from the Harford County Sheriff's Office took her to The Humane Society of Harford County, "where she will remain while the owner makes his recovery."

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