Small Fire

A fire of suspicious origin was discovered near the gymnasium of Howard High School in Columbia today and interrupted classes for an hour, fire officials said.Firefighters responding to an alarm shortly before 8 a.m. found two foam rubber mats ablaze in a storage area underneath a porch outside the gym, said Battalion Chief Donald Howell of Howard County. The track and field mats were of the kind used for high jumps.Kathy Johnston, 42, a teacher at the school in the 8700 block of Annapolis Road, received minor hand injuries while trying to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher, Howell said.

A small kitchen fire caused by a pot left on the stove damaged an Edgewood home early Tuesday morning but no injuries were reported, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Firefighters were called at 2:35 a.m. to the 600 block of Harr Park Court, where smoke was pouring from a two-story townhouse. Crews extinguished a small fire in the kitchen. Fire officials said residents sleeping on the second floor were alerted by smoke detectors and they were not injured.

City firefighters today extinguished a small fire on the top floor at the north end of the B&O Warehouse, the red brick structure just beyond right field at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.About 100 people were evacuated from the eight-story structure as a precaution. No injuries were reported. Oriole offices are in that end of the warehouse.Fire officials said a welder accidentally ignited some material with his torch about 11 a.m. while working on an eighth-floor elevator.The fire sent black clouds of smoke into the downtown area.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said Friday it had arrested a man and charged him with arson  after he allegedly started a fire outside Cranberry Square Shopping Center in Westminster. According to a release, Edwin Lawrence Kaiss Jr., 49, was taken into custody without incident after deputies identified him as a suspect in a small fire that was set at about 3:20 p.m. behind the shopping center located at 405 N. Center St., off Route 140, in Westminster. According to the fire marshal's office, investigators believe a man removed combustibles from a trash receptacle and set fire to them near the building.

A fire over the weekend in an elevator at Anne Arundel County Medical Center was arson, county fire officials said. The small fire, which occurred around 4:45 p.m., was quickly extinguished, according to Division Chief Michael E. Cox. Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, he said. Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Swan said the hospital's Health Sciences Building, where the fire took place, houses offices, and outpatient and support services. Officials have no suspects.

St. Frances Academy was evacuated today after a small fire broke out in a fifth-floor ceiling at the school around 8 a.m., according to city fire officials. There were no reports of injuries at the coed school at 501 E. Chase St., said Kevin Cartwright, a Baltimore Fire Department spokesman. He described the fire as "little to nothing." Firefighters quickly put out the blaze and ventilated the building, Cartwright said. The cause of the fire was being investigated. Sister Rita Michelle, a teacher at the school, said officials there suspected it could have been caused by an electrical problem, but she stressed "we can't be sure" at this point.

A small fire in an elevator shaft at Baltimore-Washington International Airport yesterday sent smoke pouring into the passenger terminal.State police said no one was injured, but the fire caused an American Airlines flight to be delayed because it had to be moved to another part of the airport due to the smoke. The fire, which occurred at the height of the evening passenger rush, started about 5:30 p.m. and was extinguished 20 minutes later.Trooper Gerry W. Kehs said last night that the cause of the fire was an apparent electrical short-circuit in the ground-level machinery that controls a freight elevator.

The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said Friday it had arrested a man and charged him with arson  after he allegedly started a fire outside Cranberry Square Shopping Center in Westminster. According to a release, Edwin Lawrence Kaiss Jr., 49, was taken into custody without incident after deputies identified him as a suspect in a small fire that was set at about 3:20 p.m. behind the shopping center located at 405 N. Center St., off Route 140, in Westminster. According to the fire marshal's office, investigators believe a man removed combustibles from a trash receptacle and set fire to them near the building.

About 400 guests at a hotel near Baltimore-Washington International Airport were evacuated this morning after smoke was detected on the building's second floor, authorities said. No injuries were reported in the small blaze. The Anne Arundel County Fire Department was called to the BWI Marriott Hotel at 1743 W. Nursery Road in Linthicum just before 5 a.m., according to Division Chief John Scholz. The cause of the blaze was a malfunctioning fire pump in a mechanical room, Scholz said. Marriott officials said that work had recently been done on the fire pump, according to Scholz.

A 15-year-old Glen Burnie boy was charged with intentionally setting a fire in a bathroom trash can at Glen Burnie High School on Tuesday, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Police responded to the school in the 7500 block of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard about 9:35 a.m. after school officials found and extinguished a small fire in a men's bathroom at the school, police said. An investigation of the fire by arson investigators determined it was intentionally set, and resulted in the boy's being named a suspect and arrested, police said.

Firefighters were called to control a small fire in an Edgewood home Monday morning. Just after 9:30 a.m., Harford County 9-1-1 received a call reporting a fire in the first block of McCann Street in Edgewood. The first unit on the scene reported "smoke visible," according to monitored Harford County emergency radio broadcasts. Fire units from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Abingdon Fire Company and the Aberdeen Proving Ground Fire Department responded, according to a news release from Joppa-Magnolia VFC. The Joppa-Magnolia fire chief was first to arrive and reported a small fire in an enclosed porch attached to a two-story, single family home, according to the release.

A 15-year-old Glen Burnie boy was charged with intentionally setting a fire in a bathroom trash can at Glen Burnie High School on Tuesday, according to Anne Arundel County Police. Police responded to the school in the 7500 block of Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard about 9:35 a.m. after school officials found and extinguished a small fire in a men's bathroom at the school, police said. An investigation of the fire by arson investigators determined it was intentionally set, and resulted in the boy's being named a suspect and arrested, police said.

A small fire broke out in the top floor of a five-story parking garage in Baltimore's Mount Vernon neighborhood this afternoon, according to city fire officials. City firefighters responded to the 100 block of East Read Street where they discovered heavy, dark smoke pouring from the roof. As of 1:45 p.m., firefighters had the fire under control. While there was heavy smoke in the area, no major damage was reported. No one was injured in the fire, fire officials said. Parts of North Calvert and St. Paul streets, near Read Street, were closed while firefighters were on the scene.

An Annapolis teenager is facing arson charges stemming from the weekend fire that investigators say was deliberately set in Anne Arundel Medical Center, county fire officials said Wednesday. The 17-year-old was charged as a juvenile Tuesday night with first-degree arson, second-degree malicious burning and two related counts, Division Chief Michael E. Cox said in a statement. A hearing is being scheduled for next month. Officials said they responded Saturday to the hospital's Health Sciences Building, where they extinguished a small fire in an elevator, and determined that the fire was intentionally set. Investigators had sought the public's help to identify a person seen on surveillance footage, and after questioning the youth, filed charges, Cox said.

A fire over the weekend in an elevator at Anne Arundel County Medical Center was arson, county fire officials said. The small fire, which occurred around 4:45 p.m., was quickly extinguished, according to Division Chief Michael E. Cox. Investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set, he said. Hospital spokeswoman Kelly Swan said the hospital's Health Sciences Building, where the fire took place, houses offices, and outpatient and support services. Officials have no suspects.

A fire Thursday evening in a Glen Burnie apartment complex was set intentionally, according to the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. The fire occurred just after 7 p.m. in a second-floor storage area in the Windbrooke Apartments, in the 7900 block of Silent Shadow Court, a department statement Friday said. The small fire was contained by sprinklers and was quickly extinguished, but fire investigators have determined that the flames were started on purpose. The fire department asks anyone with information about the fire to call investigators at 410-222-TIPS (8477)

A small kitchen fire caused by a pot left on the stove damaged an Edgewood home early Tuesday morning but no injuries were reported, according to the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company. Firefighters were called at 2:35 a.m. to the 600 block of Harr Park Court, where smoke was pouring from a two-story townhouse. Crews extinguished a small fire in the kitchen. Fire officials said residents sleeping on the second floor were alerted by smoke detectors and they were not injured.

Gas leak, fire force evacuation of townhousesAbout 12 people were evacuated in North Laurel yesterday morning after a one-inch gas line was broken between two townhouses, causing a gas leak and a small fire, said a spokesman for the county fire and rescue services.No injuries were reported.About 9:49 a.m. yesterday, a worker using a trenching machine to lay an electrical line accidentally struck the gas line, causing a leak in the 8900 block of Pembrook Woods, said Battalion Chief Donald R. Howell.

About 125 residents were evacuated from a 14-story senior living facility in Parole that caught fire Friday morning, an Anne Arundel County fire department spokesman said. Firefighters were called around 10:45 a.m. to the Claiborne Place Apartments at 130 Hearne Road, near Riva Road, where flames broke out in a 10 t h floor apartment, said Battalion Chief Steve Thompson. Two additional alarms were requested to help evacuate residents from the facility, Thompson said.

A small fire seemingly started by an electrical light fixture forced popular Roots organic market in Clarksville to close until Saturday. Howard County fire department spokeswoman Julia Lynch said an employee saw flames in a ceiling light fixture at 7:25 a.m. Sunday, and firefighters responded from the Clarksville Station two blocks away. Sprinklers in the ceiling controlled the fire and flames were out by 8 a.m. But heavy smoke and water damage forced the store to close for the week.