August 28, 2012
"It's so bizarre for all this to happen in such a short period of time. People drive way too fast, just way too fast. You're coming down that hill on 222 at Main at the marina. At least several times a week someone is coming in my lane around that curve," she said.
"I hope all the firefighters are OK. It's going to a long night for them again," she added.
'Horrific ball of fire'
Harford County Councilwoman Mary Ann Lisanti was having dinner with her boyfriend at a restaurant on Main Street when the lights went out in the restaurant.
"I thought it was a normal power outage," Lisanti, who lives on the opposite side of the river in Havre de Grace, said Saturday morning. Soon, the wait staff was putting candles on the tables. "About that time someone came in and said a house was on fire down the street," she said.
Lisanti and her boyfriend went outside to have a look and were in disbelief at what they saw.
"It was the most enormous red ball of fire, a horrific ball of fire," she said. "It was shooting four stories into the air and not just straight up, but from the sides."
More people began pouring out from the restaurants and stood around Main Street watching the fire.
"It was one of those situations, just by the nature of the colors and intensity of the heat, I know it wasn't a regular house fire," Lisanti said.
The councilwoman and other patrons began spreading the word that there was a dangerous situation and everyone should get out of the area.
A few good Samaritans were getting people out of restaurants, as the town was still pitch dark, and others directed traffic to clear the way for emergency vehicles and get people out safely, Lisanti said.
Amid the craziness, most people kept their composure and didn't panic, she added.
"I've been in a lot of emergency situations," Lisanti said. "You react. You don't panic. My instinct was to make sure everyone around me was safe and recognized the presence of danger."
