Firefighters responded to a call for the fire at Express Videos in the 2100 block of Belair Road at 12:45 a.m., said Derek Chapman, a deputy state fire marshal.
Chapman said the fire is being investigated as arson, but did not provide specifics.
“We have one lead we are looking into now,” he said, without elaborating.
Bryan W. Baker, of the Bel Air Fire Department, suffered minor injuries to his shoulder when fire equipment struck him, Chapman said. Baker was treated and released at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air.
It took 45 firefighters 35 minutes to put out the blaze, Chapman said. Units from the Fallston, Bel Air, Kingsville, Joppa, Jarrettsville and Level fire departments responded.
Fires had been set on the front porch and the outside rear portion of the one-story, wood-frame store, the fire marshal’s office said.
Second-degree arson carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, Chapman said.
The store and its contents were valued at $400,000 Chapman said.
The store’s owner, George Dial, has been notified and is cooperating with investigators, the fire marshal’s office said.
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