Five people are in the hospital after a Christmas tree caught on fire in a Bethesda, Maryland, home on Christmas Day, causing significant damage.
Authorities said it happened around 4:45 p.m. at a single-family house in the 10300 block of Fleming Avenue.
Fire officials said the victims have fairly serious injuries like burns and smoke inhalation.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said in a statement on X that it all started in the living room when a power strip near the Christmas tree made a loud noise.
“Residents indicate that they heard a pop. … even before the spoke alarm was activated, they discovered the fire apparently went to get a spoke alarm, and in that short period of time, the fire extended very rapidly. Everybody got out,” Piringer said.
Fire officials believe there was an electrical issue with the power strip that ignited the tree.
By the time firefighters arrived, the flames had spread throughout the first floor, leaving significant structural damage.
About 65 firefighters responded to the scene and quickly extinguished the fire. A dog was also found and resuscitated.
Below is a map of where the fire took place:
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