A family of five, including an 88-year-old woman, were forced to escape a spreading fire by jumping from the second-floor balcony of their Edgewood apartment on Monday afternoon.
Just after 3 p.m. on Monday, emergency personnel were dispatched to the 1700 block of Fountain Rock Way in Edgewood for a reported dwelling fire in a two-story, four-unit apartment.
An occupant of the apartment discovered the fire on the exterior of the home, but the family could not escape out their front door due to the fire blocking their path. The family had to exit out a 2nd floor window and jumped off a balcony, including an 88 year-old woman – who was not injured by the fire or by the jump.
Thirty firefighters from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company assisted by Abingdon, Kingsville, White Marsh and Bel Air responded to the single-alarm fire and had it under control within 20 minutes.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal estimated the fire caused $25,000 in damage to the structure and another $10,000 in damage to its contents. There were no injuries reported.
K-9 Kachina assisted investigators on scene. The American Red Cross and Harford County Disaster Assistance are assisting the displaced families. The preliminary cause of the fire remains under investigation.
I’m so glad that no one was injured, especially the 88 year-old.