Family Displaced by House Fire in Joppa

The cause of a morning house fire that displaced a family in Joppa remained under investigation Saturday evening, the Office of the State Fire Marshal reported.

When the fire started around 10:29 a.m. Saturday, one person was home in the residence in the 800 block of Wiesser Court, according to the fire marshal's report.

The resident called 911 after smelling smoke, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, which responded to the blaze with Kingsville, White Marsh and Aberdeen Proving Ground firefighters.

Joppa-Magnolia first responders arrived at 10:34 a.m. and found smoke and fire showing from the second floor of the two-story home, the fire company said.

Firefighters brought hoses inside to extinguish the fire and raised ladders to windows and the roof to check for any people trapped inside, according to Joppa-Magnolia; nobody was found.

With wind chill, the temperature at the fire scene was 16 degrees, according to Joppa-Magnolia, which reported that "due to the extreme temperature, a second alarm was called at 10:57 a.m., bringing units from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company and Abingdon Fire Company."

In all, 75 firefighters responded to the blaze, which took one hour to bring under control, according to the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

The fire marshal said that the fire started in the interior entrance hallway.

The blaze caused $200,000 in structural damage and $50,000 in damage to the contents of the home, according to the fire marshal.

One family was displaced and will be staying with relatives, Joppa-Magnolia reported.

A smoke alarm was present inside the home but it was not working, according to the fire marshal's report, which stated the cause of the blaze remained under investigation.

As the fire marshal investigated, firefighters were provided with a Harford County Public Schools bus to stay warm, and the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company's Ladies Auxiliary delivered hot drinks and snacks.

The last firefighters remained on the scene until 3:02 p.m., according to Joppa-Magnolia, which reported that a truck from the Harford County Department of Public Works salted the road when they left.