Home»All Photographs»Fire Scene Photos»Baltimore County Incidents»Baltimore County - 2008 Incidents»Towson 2nd Alarm Apartment Fire

Baltimore County, MD firefighters fought this 2-alarm fire at the Kenilworth at Charles Apartments on Donington Circle in the early morning hours of Friday, March 21. The first call came in to 911 at 5:46 a.m. stating an apartment fire, followed by multiple additional calls. When first arriving units from Towson Station #1 arrived they found the third floor (top level) apartment heavily involved in fire (The only occupant self evacuated but was later transported via ambulance to Greater Baltimore Medical Center for smoke inhalation). The incident quickly escalated to a second alarm, bringing additional fire department resources to the scene. With an aggressive fire attack crews confined the fire to the apartment of origin, however other apartments sustained smoke & water damage. Officials said unattended cooking was the cause of the fire which began when the occupant decided to cook french fries and left a pan of oil unattended on the stove. The occupant told investigators that he tried to extinguish the fire with a blanket when he returned to the kitchen and found the grease aflame, but could not. He then opened a door to try to dissipate the smoke, but the rush of air fed the fire and made it more intense. At that point, he evacuated the building. Several Towson University students rent the apartment but they were away on spring break and the occupant was a male friend who they allowed to stay in the apartment while they were out of town. The roof collapsed above the fire apartment and the adjacent unit, making those apartments uninhabitable. The Baltimore County Office of Emergency Management was on the scene assessing the needs of between four and 12 residents.