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Shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday, July 4, a Darby Court resident returned home to find smoke billowing out of a second-story bedroom in a two-story townhouse at the end of the 2300 block.
More than two dozen members of the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company responded to the residence, and the flames were knocked down within five minutes, according to Fire Chief Bill Snyder.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental in nature due to an overloaded extension cord.
Upon discovering the bedroom, the Office of the State Fire Marshal noted that the homeowner closed the door to prevent the fire from spreading, which could have helped prevent a more volatile blaze.
The fire did an estimated $25,000 in damage to the bedroom, where a smoke detector was installed, but did not sound an alarm.
“Investigators credit the owner's simple act of closing the door preventing fire, smoke, and soot damage to the remainder of the home,” officials added.
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