One person was hurt late Wednesday after a fire started under the seat of a motorized wheelchair.
It happened Wednesday around 11:30 p.m. at the Alexander House apartment complex on 2nd Avenue in Silver Spring, Maryland. The woman, 70, was in her motorized wheelchair in a second-floor apartment. She was taken to the Burn Center at MedStar Washington Hospital Center with life-threatening injuries.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said the non-lithium batteries and drive motor of the wheelchair were found severely damaged.
Piringer said the fire was listed as “accidental in nature, unknown malfunction or failure of motorized wheelchair.”
Alexander House, Silver Spring, @MCFRS_EMIHS transported 2 patients, incl 1 adult from fire apartment, Pri1 w/ life threatening injuries & 1 adult unrelated to fire w/ medical emergency. Cause of fire under investigation, Damage ~$50K to contents, sprinkler activation https://t.co/FylxiqFUWx pic.twitter.com/Outyp1WJyw
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 4, 2023
The fire, which activated sprinklers, caused about $50,000 worth of damages to items inside the apartment, Piringer said.
Another adult was take from the apartment complex to a hospital with a medical emergency unrelated to the fire.
A map of the area is below:
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect the time of the fire and more information about the victim.
