An electrical fire caused $50,000 in damage to an Edgewood townhouse Tuesday morning, and investigators with the Office of the State Fire Marshal suspect lightning from the previous night's thunderstorm could have been a factor.
Heavy rains, along with strong lightning and thunder, hit Harford County Monday night. People who live near the vacant townhouse in the 1000 block of Agate Court reported hearing "a popping and cracking sound" coming from the residence during and after the storm, Senior Deputy State Fire Marshal Oliver Alkire, a spokesperson for the Fire Marshal's Office, said.
The cause of the fire, which originated in the basement, was ruled as an "electrical failure" in a breaker box, according to a notice of investigation issued by the Fire Marshal's Office.
"Any time we have the type of storm that we had last night, that is something we consider," Alkire said of lightning being a potential cause.
Alkire said a neighbor saw smoke coming from the windows as he was leaving for work and called 911.
Firefighters were alerted shortly before 5:20 a.m. Fire companies from Abingdon, Aberdeen, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Bel Air and Joppa-Magnolia responded, according to the report.
The house and the two on either side of it in the block of town homes were vacant at the time of the fire, according to Alkire.
A Coldwell Banker realty sign could be seen in a photo provided by Joppa-Magnolia. Clark Properties LLC, of Aberdeen, is listed as the owner in online state property records.
Anyone who has additional information is encouraged to call the fire marshal's Northeast Regional Office in Bel Air at 410-836-4844.