Update - Pasture Brook Wy, Rville; Cause, fireplace ashes; Area of Origin, garage; Damage, >$600K; delayed alarm, neighbor's called 911 pic.twitter.com/GoE7YQlWIV
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 21, 2016
ICYMI - Pasture Brook Wy, Rville; Cause, fireplace ashes; Area of Origin, garage; Damage, >$600K; delayed alarm, neighbor's called 911 pic.twitter.com/jTeJ6LhHRx
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 21, 2016
ICYMI - Pasture Brook Way, Rville (12/20) 2 adults displaced, no injury, >$600K damage (>$450K structure, >$150K contents),>75 FFs on scene pic.twitter.com/pE9xXYKdxw
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) December 21, 2016
WASHINGTON — Two fires displaced 33 people in suburban Maryland Tuesday overnight, local fire officials said.
One fire destroyed a Rockville home Tuesday evening. Photos of the blaze showed spectacular flames engulfing the home. The second fire was reported after midnight at a Greenbelt apartment building.
Montgomery County fire spokesman Pete Piringer said that the blaze at 1701 Pasture Brook Way was started by fireplace ashes, which had been placed in the home’s garage about an hour before the fire was detected.
The home’s two adult residents tried to put out the fire themselves initially and neighbors called 911 to report the fire about 10:45 p.m. About 75 firefighters were called in to help beat down the flames and protect a neighboring home, which sustained minor damage, Piringer said.
The residents safely escaped the fire.
The blaze caused more than $600,000 in damage. Photos Piriniger tweeted Wednesday morning show a significant portion of the roof missing and fire damage throughout the single-family house.
Piringer said firefighters would return to the neighborhood Wednesday to share fire safety tips and the importance of smoke alarms with neighbors.
About two hours after the Rockville fire, firefighters in Prince George’s County were called to 7800 Hanover Parkway in Greenbelt to battle a three-story structure fire. Fire crews found fire coming from the second floor of the apartment building and the flames were rapidly spreading to the third floor and attic. A second alarm called in additional firefighters to help, the county fire department said in a statement.
Everyone inside the building got out safely, thanks to working smoke alarms, according to the fire department.
However the fire, which was put out quickly, caused significant damage to two apartments but left the entire building uninhabitable. All 18 adults, 13 children and numerous pets were displaced by the blaze and the American Red Cross was called in to help.
No one was injured.
The fire caused an estimated $75,000 in damage. What caused the blaze has not been determined.
