Fire Tuesday Night in Riva Leaves Two Homes Unihabitable
March 14, 2012 
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A fire in the 400 block of Porpoise Lane in Riva Farms around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night destroyed the better part of two homes. Firefighters were on the scene putting out hotspots until 4 a.m. this morning, according to a neighbor.
The neighbor said that the blaze started in the porch area of the home while two members of the family were in the basement. Neighbors saw flames in the porch and notified the homeowner who came upstairs.
More to the story after the photos.
“At first, he tried to use a garden hose to put out the fire, but then there was a loud ‘boom’ and everything just went up in flames,” he said.
Two men, a man and his adult son, escaped the house with their pet Dachshund dog and watched while firefighters battled the blaze, which grew quickly and eventually spread to the neighboring house.
At the neighboring house, a family with several pets, including a pet rabbit, were able to escape to safety. A firefighter later rescued the bunny and returned it to family members.
The suddenly-homeless victims of the blaze stayed in a hotel overnight, the neighbor said. Both homes are completely uninhabitable. But, he added, he hasn’t seen them return yet to see if there is anything salvageable.
A call to Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s media line has not yet been returned, so we don’t have information on a cause, a damage estimate or whether any firefighters were injured while fighting the fire. When that information comes in, we will update this story.
This is one of the worst house fires I have seen around here. Thank goodness that everyone got out safely. It is also a good reminder (after DST time change) to check the battery in your smoke detector and have a working fire extinguisher in an easily accessible location.
Not that it would’ve helped either of these families. But it does make you count your blessing when you see something like this.