MD Firefighters Save Two Pets from Multi-Alarm Strip Mall Fire

Maryland firefighters from multiple departments battled a large fire at a strip mall that was ignited by a candle inside a camper trailer used by a homeless man late Monday, causing nearly $3 million in damage.

The multi-alarm fire broke out at about 10:45 p.m. at a Solomons shopping plaza in Calvert County, just before the Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge, the Office of the State Fire Marshal said Tuesday. Crews from Calvert, St. Mary's, Charles and Prince George's counties rescued two pets from a veterinary clinic and worked for nearly four hours to get the flames under control.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

Investigators worked overnight and into the morning to determine the cause of the fire. A candle inside a 25-foot trailer a homeless man was using at the rear of the mall had set off combustibles before spreading to the plaza.

The homeless man was able to the escape the trailer and fled from the scene, according to the fire marshal. Authorities were able to locate the 38-year-old man when he was taken to a local hospital for an unrelated medical emergency.

The investigation remains ongoing, and deputy state fire marshals are working with the Calvert County State's Attorney's Office on a possible trespassing charge.