1 Hospitalized after Auto Repair Shop Fire in Joppa

One person was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview for treatment of burn injuries after a fire at a Joppa auto repair garage Monday afternoon, the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company reported.

At 2:04 pm, first responders were dispatched to a building fire reported in the 1000 block of Pulaski Highway, according to Joppa-Magnolia, whose personnel arrived at 2:07 p.m. and reported multiple vehicles behind the garage were on fire.

The closest fire hydrant was more than 1,000 feet away, requiring firefighters to block all eastbound lanes of Pulaski Highway with fire hoses, Joppa-Magnolia said.

Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department, Kingsville Volunteer Fire Company, Abingdon Fire Company, Fallston Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company and the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company responded in addition to Joppa-Magnolia, and the Harford County Hazmat Response Team was requested due to the potential for hazardous materials inside the building, according to the report.

Fire did not damage the inside of the building due to the speed with which firefighters responded, and hazmat officials determined there was no significant hazardous material present, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

One civilian was taken to the burn center at Bayview in serious condition with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

The victim was an employee of the shop where the fire broke out—Maryland Used Auto Parts—according to The Aegis, which reported the vehicles that caught fire were bound for the junkyard before the blaze.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal determined that the employee had been drilling a gasoline tank when a spark ignited fuel vapors and caused a flash fire.

UPDATE: Violations Temporarily Shutter Auto Repair Shop: Fire Marshal

Three vehicles were consumed by the fire and there was damage to the exterior of the building, which resulted in $10,000 in damage altogether, the fire marshal said.

The blaze was declared under control within 30 minutes, according to the report from Joppa-Magnolia, which stated eastbound lanes of Pulaski Highway were reopened at approximately 3:30 p.m.