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First responders were called shortly before 3 a.m. to Browning Court in Abingdon, where there was a fire that started on a rear deck that damaged three homes, leaving several displaced.
According to the Maryland Fire Marshal, the owners of the home woke up to a smell of smoke and were met by a heavy fire on their deck, which extended upwards on the backside of the home.
The neighbors on either side also woke up to sounds and reported the fire.
Firefighters managed to largely contain the fire to the original home, though the neighboring residences suffered "moderate to heavy fire, smoke, soot, and water damage."
Investigators say that due to the amount of damage and difficulty of completely extinguishing the fire, Harford County Highway used an excavator to assist in removing heavy debris.
Nine people were displaced and are being assisted by the county and American Red Cross. The injured firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken by paramedics to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials say that discarded smoking materials cannot be ruled out. It caused an estimated $500,000 in damage, according to investigators.
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