Two people were displaced after fire struck a cottage in an Abingdon senior housing development Sunday evening, fire officials said.
An assistant fire chief was taken to a hospital during the incident after suffering a medical emergency, Abingdon Volunteer Fire Company Chief Monti Arrington said.
No one was injured in the fire, which caused $125,000 in damage to a building at the Woodsdale Senior Housing complex, in the 3800 block of Memory Lane, according to a notice of investigation from the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
The incident, reported at about 7:15 p.m., was caused by an accidental electrical failure, according to investigators.
The neighborhood was filled with heavy smoke that poured out of the roof of a cottage in the senior housing complex, between I-95 and Route 924 off Woodsdale Road.
Arrington said the fire originated in the attic space, making it relatively easy to control. Firefighters from spent about 10 to 15 minutes controlling the fire, he said.
Two occupants who were home in the four-unit dwelling "were removed safely," Arrington said.
About 60 firefighters from the Abingdon, Bel Air and Joppa-Magnolia volunteer fire companies and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department responded with 10 pieces of equipment, Arrington said.
The dwelling "is vacant, definitely untenable. It is going to have some significant work [needing to be] done to it," he said.
Smoke alarms and sprinklers did not activate because the fire was in the attic, according to investigators. The blaze was discovered by a neighbor.
Disaster assistance was helping the occupants, according to the Harford County Volunteer Fire & EMS Association.