A fire suppression sprinkler system is credited by investigators with limiting damage from a fire in a Bel Air condominium apartment Monday night.
The fire was reported about 8:40 p.m. by the occupants of the unit which is a three-story, 12-unit building in the 200 block of Kings Crossing Circle off North Hickory Avenue.
"Firefighters from Bel Air and Fallston worked a small fire in an apartment building...on arrival crews found a smoldering mattress that was contained by a sprinkler system," Rich Gardiner, spokesperson for the Harford Volunteer Fire & EMS association, posted on the organization's media Facebook Page.
About 35 firefighters responded, but the fire was out upon arrival, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said in its notice of investigation of the fire.
No injuries reported, but damage to the unit is estimated at $10,000 and damage to contents $5,000, according to investigators.
The fire started in a den/bedroom in electric wiring to a fireplace and Christmas decorations, according to the notice of investigation. The preliminary cause was accidental from the wiring to the electric fireplace, according to investigators.
"The residential fire sprinkler contained and extinguished the flames, effectively stopping the fire at its origin, without compromising the safety the occupants safety in the rest of the 12-unit structure," the notice of investigation states.