Police say seven adults and two children were displaced Wednesday evening following a two-alarm fire.
Crews responding to a fire in the 400 block of Compton Avenue in Laurel around 7 p.m. found heavy flames and a collapsed roof.
An attempt to fight the fire from inside was aborted until the fire was brought under control from outside, according to Prince George's County Fire. Once they were back inside, firefighters needed about an hour to extinguish the fire.
One firefighter suffered burns to his ears. He was treated and released from the Burn Unit at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
Firefighters from Howard, Montgomery, Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties assisted Laurel Fire and EMS in extinguishing the fire.
Three townhomes were destroyed. The middle townhome was vacant. One adult was displaced from the townhome where the fire started, and six adults and two children were displaced from the third townhome.
There is no word yet on how the fire started. The loss is estimated at $300,000.
