Firefighters Rescue Woman Trapped in House Fire

IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 31, 2013

Montgomery County, MD - - - An activated smoke alarm alerted a Bethesda family of a house fire early this morning. Shortly after 5:30 a.m. units from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched to the 7700 block of Glenmore Springs Way after receiving multiple calls from neighbors reporting a house on fire. The first arriving engine company reported heavy fire showing from the garage of a single family ranch style home. Additional information was relayed to units that one of the occupants was possibly still in the house. Firefighters searched the home and rescued a 90-year-old female resident in a back bedroom. The resident was treated on the scene and transported to a local hospital.

The fire was quickly brought under control and extinguished with little extension to the remainder of the house. An investigation was conducted and determined that the fire began in the attached garage that was being used for storage. There were no vehicles in the garage at the time of the fire and investigators have determined that the fire originated in or around an oil filled space heater that was plugged into an extension cord in the garage.

The fire is listed as undetermined with a possible cause as a failure of the electrical extension cord or the heater. The fire caused $200, 000 in damages to the structure and contents. Three adult residents were displaced and the 90-year-old female remains hospitalized with injuries considered to be non-life threatening. A working smoke alarm, along with alert neighbors, were a life-saving combination.

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