Two separate fires in Baltimore County apartment complexes Thursday hospitalized seven people including a young child reportedly in grave condition, officials said.
An unattended candle sparked a two-alarm fire at a Randallstown apartment on the 8500 block of Glen Michael Lane around 10:10 a.m., fire officials said. Crews managed to rescue everyone — including several people trapped on the third floor and a 3-year-old boy in the basement — in about 10 minutes, according to Elise Armacost, a Baltimore County Fire Department spokeswoman.
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The boy was transported to Johns Hopkins Hospital’s pediatric unit, where he was listed as “Priority 1,” the most serious condition. Medic crews transported three other patients, an adult male and two juveniles, to Northwest Hospital Center with minor, non-life-threatening conditions, Armacost said.
About 10 people were displaced, she said.
Hours earlier, county firefighters rushed to the Lowell Ridge apartments in Parkville on the first block of Spindrift Circle, where significant flames were reported just after 1 a.m.
First-arriving crews made two rescues within minutes and the blaze was upgraded to four alarms with 150 firefighters and 30 personnel on the scene, according to Lt. John Cromwell, a department spokesman. The fire was brought under control in about 4-1/2 hours.
Two civilians, along with a firefighter who fell on ice, were transported to a local hospital, Cromwell said. All residents were accounted for, though residents of two buildings will be relocated to vacant apartments or local hotels.
Red Cross and Baltimore County Emergency Management — who said many tenants lacked renters insurance — were working to ensure everyone was relocated.
Investigations into both fires are continuing. No damage estimates were available by press time.
