Overview
- Fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Berkshires at Town Center Apartments on East Joppa Road in Towson.
- Officials said crews found the fire on the third floor and contained it in about an hour during a three-alarm response.
- Firefighters used ladders to rescue residents from balconies as thick smoke filled hallways, forcing some door breaches for evacuations.
- Residents were allowed to return to the building around 1 a.m., though smoke odors persisted on upper floors.
- Tenants said the blaze started in a third-floor trash room with damage extending into the hallway, a detail not yet confirmed by investigators.