DELMAR, Md.- Investigators say a sparkling device thrown into a trash can sparked an early Friday morning house fire in Delmar that displaced 11 people, including nine children.
The Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said the blaze broke out at around 1:30 a.m. at a two-and-a-half story home located at 301 E. Elizabeth St., on the town's Maryland side.
Fifty firefighters from the Delmar Volunteer Fire Department and eight other fire departments responded to the scene and got the fire under control in 90 minutes.
"Glass and stuff was falling out of the windows, I saw like a lot of smoke coming down the street," neighbor and friend of the kids that live there Dakota Boyer said.
The fire caused an estimated $50,000 in damage to the structure and another $10,000 in damage to its contents.
There were no reported injuries. The home's 11 occupants are being assisted by the Red Cross, according to the Delmar VFD.
"I feel sad that they have to move and I also feel really bad that they don't have a house now and they lost a lot of their stuff," Boyer said.
Deputy state fire marshals determined the fire started on a side porch and was caused by the improper disposal of legal, ground-based sparkling devices in a trash can after use.
"When I saw it I got a little freaked out because I thought someone got hurt. And the fire apparently started by a firecracker, which I didn't know a firecracker could do something like that," neighbor and friend of the kids that live there Rogan Evans said.
Fire officials are reminding the public to douse any fireworks in a bucket of water after they are used and before disposal.
The aftermath of an early Friday morning fire that heavily damaged this home in Delmar, Md. (Photo: WBOC)
