Elkridge fire under investigation after dozens left homeless

WITH THIS UPDATE. WHAT’S GOING ON? DAVID? WELL, STILL NO CAUSE AND INVESTIGATORS HAVE NOT DISCLOSED WHERE THEY THINK THE FIRE STARTED. FOR THIS REASON, SHOCKED NEIGHBORS TELL US THEY ARE AFRAID A FIRE WILL BREAK OUT IN THEIR BUILDING. ON MONDAY, THE NOISE OF REPAIR WORK REPLACED SIRENS, FIRE APPLIANCES AND THE BARKING OF ORDERS. THE FIRE EMERGENCY OCCURRED SATURDAY AT AROUND 5 AM ON ORCHARD CLUB DRIVE IN ELKRIDGE. FIREFIGHTERS SAY TEAMS ENCOUNTERED FLAMES ON THE SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH FLOORS AND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY PUT A SECOND ALARM. THE WHOLE UPPER FLOOR WAS IN FIRE AND IT TOOK THEM OVER AN HOUR TO GET IT UNDER CONTROL. IT WAS PRETTY BAD. IT WAS ABOUT A FEW FEET UP IN THE AIR. I MEAN, IT WAS BAD. IT WAS BAD. THE RED CROSS IS ASSISTING 15 HOUSEHOLDS AND A TOTAL OF 38 PEOPLE WERE LOST. WITNESSES SAY THE FIRE SPREAD QUICKLY AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE. POLICE EVACUATED SOME RESIDENTS, INCLUDING DEBBIE JUSTICE. I HEARD MY NEIGHBOR UPstairs SCREAMING. IT WAS ABOUT 5 AM. WHY ARE SHE SCREAMING? IT WAS VERY SCARY, VERY SCARY TO SEE HOW FAST THE APARTMENTS WERE GOING UP. I DID NOT KNOW IT WOULD COME THIS FAR. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN FIRE. I AM SCARED BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT HAD SPREAD TO MY LOCATION. WHERE MY BUILDING IS. EMTs TRANSPORTED ONE FIREMAN AND ONE RESIDENT TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. EMTs TREATED ANOTHER RESIDENT ON SITE. SADLY, TWO DOGS AND A CAT DIED IN THE FIRE. I FEELS SORRY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE AND PETS THAT MADE ME CRY. IT’S A SHAME. THE RED CROSS IS HELPING THE DISPLACED PEOPLE FIND A PLACE TO STAY. MEDICATION IS BEING REPLACED AND SOME ARE RECEIVING EMOTIONAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT. LIVE REPORT FROM

Origin and cause of Elkridge fire under investigation after dozens of residents were displaced

Firefighter and resident taken to hospital; 2 dogs and cat died in fire

Updated: 5:37 p.m. EDT, July 29, 2024

Howard County fire investigators have not yet released a cause or origin of a blaze that left dozens of residents homeless early Saturday morning. Around 5 a.m., firefighters were called to an apartment complex in the 6300 block of Orchard Club Drive in Elkridge, where a Level 2 fire left 14 units uninhabitable, left about 40 residents homeless and killed two dogs and a cat. “I just feel sorry for those people and those pets. It made me cry. It’s a disgrace,” said Rebecca Fries, a witness. A firefighter and a resident were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Paramedics treated another resident at the scene who refused to be taken to a hospital. On Monday, crews were working on repairs at the complex after the fire damaged the second, third and fourth floors. Witnesses told 11 News the fire spread quickly. “The entire roof (of the building) was on fire. It took them over an hour to get it under control,” Fries told 11 News. “It was pretty bad. It was about a foot high. It was bad, it was bad.”As a precaution, police evacuated some residents, including Debbie Justice. “I heard my neighbor upstairs screaming. So I thought, ‘It’s five in the morning, why is she screaming?’” Justice told 11 News. “It was very scary, very frightening, just seeing how quickly the apartments can go up in flames.”“It was scary. I didn’t know it would get this far. This is my first time seeing a fire. I was scared because I thought it was going to spread to my apartment building,” said Andre Scott, a witness.The American Red Cross is helping the homeless find housing, replace medications and get emotional and financial support.

ELKRIDGE, Maryland —

Howard County fire investigators have not yet released any information on the cause or origin of the fire that left dozens of residents homeless early Saturday morning.

Around 5 a.m., firefighters were called to an apartment complex in the 6300 block of Orchard Club Drive in Elkridge, where a Level 2 fire left 14 units uninhabitable, left about 40 residents homeless and killed two dogs and a cat.

“I just feel sorry for these people and these pets. It made me cry. It’s a disgrace,” said Rebecca Fries, a witness.

A firefighter and a resident were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Paramedics treated another resident at the scene who refused to be taken to a hospital.

On Monday, crews were making repairs at the complex after the fire damaged the second, third and fourth floors. Witnesses told 11 News that the fire spread quickly.

“The whole roof (of the building) was under water. It took them over an hour to get it under control,” Fries told 11 News. “It was pretty bad. It was about a foot in the air. It was bad, it was bad.”

As a precautionary measure, police evacuated some residents, including Debbie Justice.

“I heard my neighbor upstairs screaming. I was like, ‘It’s 5 a.m., why is she screaming?'” Justice told 11 News. “It was very scary, very frightening, just seeing how quickly the apartments can go up.”

“It was scary. I didn’t know it would get this far. It was the first time I had seen a fire. I was scared because I thought it would spread to my location, to my building,” said witness Andre Scott.

The American Red Cross is helping displaced people find shelter, obtain medicine, and provide emotional and financial support.