Fires at apartment buildings in Glen Burnie and Dundalk forced 19 families into the bitter cold over the weekend, but no one was injured in the blazes.
About 45 Anne Arundel County firefighters were called out shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday to a three-story garden apartment complex in the 8000 block of Knoll Park Court, Glen Burnie.
Fire department officials said the fire started in a bedroom of a third-floor apartment and quickly spread to an adjoining apartment.
Investigators have not determined the cause of the fire, but estimated damage at about $250,000.
The fire displaced two families, while nine other families had to leave their apartments because of water damage from the hoses and burst pipes, fire officials said.
The Central Maryland Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting two of the families by paying for temporary shelter at a local hotel and food vouchers, said John Williams, a spokesman for the Red Cross.
Other families have found temporary shelter with friends and relatives, he said.
Baltimore County Fire Department officials said six units at the Town & Country Charlesmont Apartments in the 7800 block of E. Collingham Drive, Dundalk, were destroyed Saturday night, leaving eight families homeless.
The fire, which was reported at 11:19 p.m., took more than an hour to bring under control, Baltimore County fire officials said.
Investigators are attempting to determine the cause of the fire, which heavily damaged apartment units on the first, second and third floors.
Families displaced by the fire have been offered housing in unoccupied apartments by the management of the complex, Mr. Williams said.