Strong Winds Fuel Five-Alarm Brush Fire

Several hundred acres and numerous structures in Odenton are in danger after small brush fires began earlier today and spread  to a five-alarm situation.

"The fire is huge, and it's not under control,"  Anne Arundel Fire Department spokesman Capt. James Rostek said.

Throughout the state, these small fires have escalated into more serious incidents due to strong winds and low relative humidity, Rostek said. 

Crofton Woods resident Stacie Glaze said her neighborhood was filled with smoke and black ash that fell from the sky on Saturday afternoon.

"It was really startling," she said. About an hour later, the smoke began to fade, she said.

"Right now, most of the smoke has cleared out," Woods said at about 3 p.m. "There's still a little bit of ash falling now."

After yesterday's highway-closing incident off of Route 100, firefighters are continually battling the flames in Odenton near Conway Road. Twenty-five fire units are on the scene, Rostek said.

Strong winds also created power outages around the region. Baltimore Gas and Electric reported that it restored power to more than 29,000 homes in its service area. In Anne Arundel County, more than 4,000 customers remained without power, including several hundred in the Odenton and Crofton area.