Two Sykesville families lose homes due to fires

Firefighters spent 20 minutes battling a fire at the home of David and Kimblery Hopwood at Bristol Place in Sykesville at 12:25 p.m. on Dec. 20.

The family was not home at the time of the fire, said Sgt. Bill Rehkopf, spokesman for the Sykesville-Freedom Dist. Fire Department in a news release.

The single-story wood frame rancher and $20,000 of contents were lost in the fire, according to an investigation report by the Maryland State Fire Marshal.

The fire began in the basement due to an electrical wiring failure, the report states.

The American Red Cross is assisting the family of five with members and providing the family with clothing, food and cleaning supplies, said Doug Lent of the American Red Cross.

Local residents are banding together to help the Hopwoods, who include 2-, 3- and 7-year-old children.

Liz Clark, spokesman for non-profit The Ugly Mug Café and Concert House, is a friend of David Hopwood’s father. Ted Granger is the contractor who is volunteering to help The Ugly Mug. It is his son’s house that burned down, she said in an e-mail.

The Ugly Mug is set to be a drug- and alcohol-free venue in Eldersburg to open in 2008. It is in partnership with The Journey Church, a non-denominational church in Eldersburg.

The family is staying with friends, she said.

Clark said Friday that neighbors, Boy Scout troops and church groups have stopped by her house to drop off gift cards, presents and cash for the family.

‘‘I have probably 30 e-mails of people saying ‘I’ll be by, I’ll be by,’” she said.

Anyone interested in helping the family can, visit www.theuglymug.net or contact Clark at liz@theuglymug.net or call 443-286-6968.

A Sunday morning fire also started in the basement of the Hiler family at their Long Meadow Road home in Eldersburg.

The fire started when James Hiler Jr. attempted to light a wood stove with a can of camper stove fuel, according to the firefighters’ investigation.

The fire flashed and set the can on fire and spread to the rest of the basement.

The Hiler family is temporarily staying in a hotel, according to their neighbor, Peggy Posey.

About 80 firefighters responded on Dec. 19 to an early morning blaze at the abandoned Henryton Hospital Center in Marriottsville.

The Henryton Hospital Center was a state-run hospital, similar in size and function of the original Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville. The state closed the property in 1985, and it has fallen in disrepair since.

It is located in a remote part of the Patapso Valley State Park in the Henryton area of Marriottsville.

The property has been the scene of fires and break-ins over the years, Rehkopf said.

The fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire, which has been classified as suspicious. No electricity serves the building.

Anyone with information about the fire is asked to call the fire marshal at 888-214-7892.