Dozens of residents at the Berkshires at Town Center in Towson are taking their landlord to court, accusing management of dropping the ball on basic fire safety after a three-alarm blaze in January. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, nearly two months after the Jan. 19 fire, claims the owners allowed dangerous conditions that left several people treated for smoke inhalation and some tenants stranded on balconies. The plaintiffs are asking for rent abatements, waivers of lease-termination penalties, and financial help with relocation while repairs and investigations drag on.
What tenants say
In court filings, tenants allege that sprinklers and alarms on the affected floors never kicked in, and that emergency lighting and backup generators were unreliable during the Jan. 19 fire, forcing residents to grope their way through thick smoke. Several tenants, including Cheryl Huff, told reporters they were treated for smoke inhalation. Huff is quoted as saying, "this is the closest I’ve ever been to dying." The allegations and requests for relief are laid out in the complaint and in court documents reviewed by WBAL.
Fire, rescues and numbers
Officials say the blaze started on the third floor and quickly escalated to a three-alarm response as smoke spread through multiple levels of the complex, prompting a series of rescues. Fire crews contained the flames and had them out shortly after 8 p.m., and more than a dozen people were transported to area hospitals with injuries described as non-life-threatening, according to CBS Baltimore. Roughly 15 apartments were vacated, and about 20 residents were displaced while investigators and building crews sorted out the damage.
Management responds
The building’s owners and managers flatly deny the accusations and say they plan to defend their record. In a statement to WBAL, the building’s attorney said ownership and management "maintain the property to the highest safety and maintenance standards" and that the fire "appears to have been caused by a tenant." The attorney did not immediately respond to detailed questions about the specific code violations listed in the suit.
Enforcement and tenant-rights context
The case lands in the middle of an already heated debate over code enforcement in Towson. Local reporting last fall flagged a spike in illegal rentals and fire hazards in parts of the area, and county leaders have floated ways to make inspections easier. Lawmakers and advocates have also been wrangling over stronger tenant remedies, sometimes branded as a "Tenant Safety" push, that would expand group rent-escrow tools and let tenants seek damages when hazardous conditions are not fixed, as outlined in testimony shared with the Maryland Legislature.
What’s next
The lawsuit is now pending in Baltimore County civil court and could bring closer scrutiny to the building’s systems and any prior orders to remedy violations. Tenants say they want repairs completed and help relocating while they piece their lives back together. Management says it will make its case through the courts. This one is far from over, and we will update this story if new filings or official statements surface.
