Mildred "Babe" Russell and her little dog Rhonda are safe after she said a fire in her wood stove began burning out of control in the basement of her Owings Mills home Monday.

The Owings Mills Volunteer Fire Company was alerted and dispatched to the scene a little before 11 a.m., according to its website. No other injuries were reported.

"A basement fire is always more dangerous," said responding firefighter Jeremy Schneinker. "We have to go in and find it, and the heat's rising up. There becomes less ways to get out."

Both cost- and energy-conscious people have increasingly used wood stoves to heat their homes, which has led to a rise in wood stove and chimney-related fires, according to the Maryland Office of the State Fire Marshal. Russell said she's been using her wood stove for years.

Neighbors gathered in the cold, mid-30s air along the side street off Gwynnbrook Avenue, south of Owings Mills Boulevard, to observe the incident.

Thomas Paynter, who lives across the street from Russell and her husband Taylor, said he placed the 911 call.

"Well, first I saw smoke drifting down the street," he said. "(Russell) came over, almost knocking the door down, for help."

Paynter and Peggy Leedy, who lives caddy-corner to Russell, said the fire trucks showed up within minutes.

"It happened real sudden," she said. "These firefighters — bless their hearts."

Russell said her husband just got done paying off the house. She's hoping their insurance will cover it, she said.

During the hour-long event, Russell's dog remained safe in Paynter's home. Russell said that's all that mattered.

"I need my husband, but I need that little Rhonda dog," she said.