Police: Arson Suspect Fled Fire Through Window

Howard County police are looking for a man in connection with a two-alarm fire that occurred Friday night in an apartment building in Columbia.

Officers responded to a disturbance report at about 9:30 p.m. on April 5 in the 5300 block of Harpers Farm Road.

An injured man who lived in the apartment building was located by officers in the parking lot, according to a police news release.

Another man reportedly appeared in a second-story window and shouted obscenities before officers observed fire inside the apartment. The man fled the apartment out of a rear window, police said.

Adjacent apartments were evacuated and it took about an hour to put the fire out. Police said Harpers Farm Road was shut down for an extended period of time but was reopened by early Saturday morning.

Police reported no injuries from the fire but said the American Red Cross assisted 17 residents who were evacuated from adjacent apartments.

Arson and domestic violence investigators responded to continue the investigation.