A 67-year-old man leapt from the second-story balcony of his Columbia condominium early yesterday as flames swept through his family room, firefighters said. He suffered minor injures.

About 5: 30 a.m., firefighters arrived at the condominium in the 5200 block of W. Running Brook Road, officials said, and found William E. Cain on the ground. Cain was taken to Howard County General Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Firefighters had the blaze under control within 30 minutes, said Capt. Chris Shimer of the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

The blaze was caused by careless smoking and resulted in $75,000 in damages, firefighters said.

Neighbor Rosalie Kane said she was asleep when the fire started and was awakened by loud noise outside.

When Kane looked out her window, she said, she saw Cain on the ground and heard him moaning.

She called 911 and learned that firefighters had been called.

"The flames were coming out of his room and there was the constant popping of windows [exploding] from the heat," she said.

Firefighters said they also escorted an elderly neighbor from a next-door condominium to safety.

Pub Date: 11/26/98