COLUMBIA, Md. —Howard County firefighters battled a three-alarm blaze Sunday afternoon at an apartment building in Columbia, officials said.


Firefighters were called to the 5800 block of Wyndham Circle around 11:45 a.m.
The complex is located immediately adjacent to the Banneker Fire Station in Town Center, and crews were on scene almost immediately after dispatch.
First arriving units saw heavy fire coming from the third floor of the apartment.
Crews said they worked quickly to extinguish the blaze but flames caused extensive damage to the structure.
The fire was under control by about 1 p.m.
Two apartment residents and a firefighter suffered minor injuries as a result of the fire.
Despite a sprinkler system, the fire damaged at least 12 units, officials said. The Red Cross was requested to help residents.
"This was a significant fire, and I think certainly the fact that there was a sprinkler system, that certainly made a difference. At the same time, the building was very quickly evacuated because the smoke detector system worked as well. This could've been a whole lot worse," Howard County Fire and Rescue spokesman Marc Fischer said.
Damage estimates are pending.

The fire remains under investigation.
WBAL-TV 11 News reporter Vanessa Herring contributed to this report