A bedroom fire in a Whiteford home Friday morning caused an estimated $100,000 damage to the dwelling's contents, twice the estimated damage to the structure, fire investigators said.
Investigators attributed the high content damage estimate to the many things being hoarded inside by the occupant.
The fire started around 7:20 a.m. Friday at the home in the 2600 block of Whiteford Road after an electrical space heater caught fire, igniting a nearby mattress, Oliver Alkire, spokesperson for Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said.
It took 20 firefighters from Whiteford, Norrisville, Fawn Grove and Delta-Cardiff fire companies 20 minutes to put out the one-alarm fire, according to the Fire Marshal's Office notice of investigation.
According to the State Fire Marshal's Office, the home sustained $50,000 in structural damage.
"There was an overwhelming abundance of materials inside, which had extreme soot, smoke and water damage," Alkire said.
The home was condemned by the State Fire Marshal's Office because of damage from the fire and damage from "extreme hoarding conditions," he said.
There was no smoke alarm in the home, according to the notice.
The home is owned by Cynthia D. Brown and occupied by Winston C. Buchanan, the fire Marshal's Office said.
The sole occupant of the home has been displaced and being assisted by Harford County Disaster Assistance and the American Red Cross, according to fire officials.