As the flames spread from unit to unit in the Tuscany Woods apartment complex in Windsor Mill, Bashir Barak says his wife interrupted his morning prayers fearing something was wrong outside.
“When I checked up at the top of the building, there was fire and the fire guys who came told me to take my family so I took my kids and then I sat in my car,” Barak told us.
Firefighters arriving on the scene just after six o’clock in the morning found heavy smoke and fire showing, as people spread the word to get out.
“We have rescued one resident from one of the apartment buildings,” said Lt. Travis Francis of the Baltimore County Fire Department, “They were rescued by firefighters and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. We believe it just to be smoke inhalation.”
Investigators have not yet determined the cause of the fire, but they believe it started on the second floor and spread to the attic.
All toll, 30 apartments sustained damage from the fire, smoke and water used to douse the flames, forcing dozens of residents to seek shelter elsewhere, including Barak, his wife and their three children ranging in age from 6 years old to just 18 months.
“My kids, they were crying because it was early morning and they were so scared,” said Barak, “I didn’t think about inside the apartment. The only think I was thinking about was my kids.”
