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No cause found yet in Fallston blaze

BY KIRSTEN DIZE

Posted 2/02/11

Investigators say they have not determined the cause of a fire Thursday afternoon that destroyed a Fallston home, causing more than $1 million in damage.

The house, which state property assessment records list as being owned by Raymond and Clare Santiago, had been on the market with a listed selling price of almost $1.3 million, according to several real estate websites.

As of Tuesday morning, investigators had not determined the cause of the fire or where it started, but a representative of the State Fire Marshal’s Office said there did not appear to be anything suspicious at play.

Around 12:54 p.m. Thursday, firefighters were dispatched to the 2000 block of Watervale Road after a neighbor discovered flames inside the Santiago house, according to deputy state fire marshals.

The 100 responding firefighters fought the blaze from a “strictly defensive” standpoint because the fire was so far along when they arrived, Dave Williams, public information officer with the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association, said Thursday.

Flames engulfed the two story house before it collapsed into itself, fire officials said.

Fire companies from Harford and Baltimore counties as well as Aberdeen Proving Ground and York County, Pa., were all involved in the effort.

No one was inside dwelling when the fire started and no injuries were reported, according to Williams.

The fire caused about $1.3 million damage to the building and about half a million dollars in damage to what was inside the home, according to fire investigators.

All that was left standing was the steel cross beam, two supports and what looked to be a smaller wing of the house. The ruins were still smoking Friday and Saturday.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family in the wake of the fire, according to fire officials.

The 6,039-square-foot house was built on a 10.6-acre lot in 1992, according to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation property data search.

The Santiagos purchased the property in 2006, paying $1 million for it, according to property tax records.

According to a description of the property available online, the house had five bedrooms, five full bathrooms, a separate quarters for in-laws and “two pools — indoor and outdoor.”

Not damaged in the fire was a two-story barn that sits between the house and Watervale Road.

According to a sign at the entrance to the driveway, the property was being offered for sale by Regional Realty Inc.

Attempts to contact the agent who was handling the sale of the property were unsuccessful.