The fire on Softwood Terrace in Olney, Maryland, cause damage to five units Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue via Twitter)
3500blk Softwood Ter, Olney, fire is out, still hotspots, everything else is ice/frozen, air temp 9° windchill -5°, dozens of FFs remain on scene, Red Cross assisting ~20 adults & kids displaced from 5 townhouses pic.twitter.com/4smKui1zFh
A fire in a five-row town house unit Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, displaced some 20 people and caused more than $1,000,000 in damage. (Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue via Twitter).
As Montgomery County firefighters were battling the blaze on Garth Terrace, a fire was reported in the 3500 block of Softwood Terrace in Olney.
(Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue)
Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
Town houses in the five-row unit on Softwood Terrace in Olney, burn due to misuse of a fireplace.
(Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue)
Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
The origin of the fire in a five-row town house unit is the fireplace, where flammable liquid was used to restart a fire and a door was left open.
(Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue)
Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
The brutal cold temperatures Friday, Jan. 5, 2018, froze the water used by Montgomery County firefighters to put out the fire on Softwood Terrace in Olney, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018.
(Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue)
Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue
Five adults and five children were displaced due to a fire on Garth Terrace, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. Some 65 firefighters were on the scene.
(Courtesy Montgomery County Fire and Rescue)
In Gaithersburg, firefighters responded to a basement fire in a town house in the 100 block of Garth Terrace. No injuries were reported, but one person is being evaluated for smoke inhalation. Five adults and five children were displaced. Some 65 firefighters were on the scene.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue tweeted that the cause of the fire was the dryer in the basement. Damage is estimated at $400,000.
As firefighters were battling the blaze on Garth Terrace, a neighbor reported a fire in the 3500 block of Softwood Terrace in Olney. More than 100 firefighters responded to heavy fire in a town house. The middle of the row home in a five-row unit had partial structural collapse, and the fire extended to the other units.
The origin of the fire is the fireplace, where flammable liquid was used to restart a fire and a door was left open.
Some 20 people were displaced. There are several injuries, including one civilian and two firefighters. The estimated damage is more than $1,000,000.
Abigail Constantino started her journalism career writing for a local newspaper in Fairfax County, Virginia. She is a graduate of American University and The George Washington University.
