BEL AIR, Md. — Firefighters battled a two-alarm fire in Harford County on Monday night. The Deputy State Fire Marshals office said that fire at the Taylor Ridge condominiums was caused by lightning.
The Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company was called to 1311 Sheridan Place for a carbon monoxide detector alarm around 9:30 p.m. on Monday. Additional 911 callers reported seeing flames coming from the roof.
Louise Genereux says she was sitting in her home reading a book before her building was struck by lightning and caught fire.
"The roof was inflamed, it was a lot of flames and it was like reaching to my unit and my unit was on fire," Genereux said.
About 26 residents of the condo complex are displaced due to damage from the fire.
The building has been deemed unsafe, leaving many people without their belongings and even some people without their beloved pets.
"That's everything I own, that's my home. What are you to do now when you have nothing, what are you to do when you have just the clothes on your back," Brittany Mccarthan, a resident asked.
Investigators say lightning struck the roof the building, starting that fire. Residents reported hearing the strike and then smelling smoke minutes later. The fire caused the roof to collapse into the third floor.
The building was equipped with sprinklers but the fire originated above the level of their protection features.
One person was evaluated and declined to be taken to the hospital. They later drove themselves.
Friends and family and Harford County Disaster Assistance are assisting those displaced.
Some GoFundMe's were started to help support some of those in need:
