Apartment Fire Displaces Families Who 'Lost Everything' In Baltimore County Blaze

LANSDOWNE, MD — A Sunday apartment fire displaced seven adults and nine children in Lansdowne, officials said.

The Baltimore County Fire Department said one resident was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Firefighters said they were called for a kitchen fire at 5:25 a.m. in the 2900 block of Lakebrook Circle. That's located in the Lakeside Homes at Holiday Heights community.

First responders said they found flames visible from the top floor of the three-story building, which had people trapped inside. A second alarm was requested, bringing additional assistance.

Crews said they immediately began search and rescue, saving three dogs and two cats.

Firefighters said they placed the fire under control at 6:34 a.m., and they were clearing the scene by 9 a.m.

"Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents. The cause of the fire remains under investigation," Baltimore County Fire Department spokesperson Travis Francis told Patch in a Monday email.

Demetrice Brown told The Baltimore Sun she and her daughter lost their third-floor home in the fire.

“We basically lost everything,” Brown told The Sun. “We need help.”

The Sun said Brown, who will stay with family, criticized the apartment complex for lack of maintenance.

“They need to shut these apartments down,” Brown told The Sun. “They don’t fix anything. Ceilings, refrigerators, no hot water, no heat or air, and now, we don’t have nowhere to live.”

To learn about the apartments' recent failed inspection from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, read The Sun's full story.

That article is only available to Sun subscribers, but anybody with a Baltimore County Public Library card can read the article at this link by searching "Lansdowne apartment fire."

This map shows the apartment complex where officials said the fire happened.