Fire Damages Aberdeen Apartment Complex

A Tuesday afternoon fire ignited by maintenance efforts badly damaged an Aberdeen apartment complex and displaced five tenants, fire officials said.

The fire broke out at approximately 3 p.m. in a 24-unit, two-story building at the Parke Terrace Apartments on the 300 block of Parke Street in Aberdeen. According to the state fire marshal’s office, maintenance workers were replacing a sink in an unoccupied first-floor unit when embers from soldering ignited wood and insulation inside the wall.

A total of 60 firefighters from the Aberdeen, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Susquehanna, and Level fire companies brought the blaze under control in about 20 minutes.

Damage to the units was estimated at $75,000, while damages to their contents was estimated at $25,000. Fire officials said four apartment units were damaged and five tenants were displaced. The occupants are being assisted by their family members and the Harford County Disaster Assistance Team.

“The maintenance workers immediately alerted other occupants inside the building and escorted nearby tenants to safety,” deputy state fire marshal Oliver Alkire said in an e-mail statement. “The quick response and action of the fire department contained the fire to the affected units only and should be commended.”