Gaithersburg House Fire On Primrose View Court

At approximately 8:50 p.m. on Monday, March 21, MCFRS units were dispatched for a report of a house on fire at 9400 Primrose View Court in Gaithersburg. Upon arrival, firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions and reported the exterior was 'fully involved' and that the fire had extended into the home's first and second floors. Additional resources were immediately requested.

Firefighters initiated a transitional fire attack by first applying water from the exterior to knock the fire down and then transitioning to an interior attack to bring the fire under control.

Three occupants were home at the time of the fire and were able to escape unharmed. By the time occupants discovered the fire, it had engulfed a portion of the front of the home and rapidly spread when the vinyl siding ignited.

Fire Investigators were called to the scene to conduct an origin and cause investigation. Based on interviews with the occupants of the home, and numerous cigarette butts on the ground in the area the fire began, it was determined that the fire began on the exterior of the home and was accidental in nature caused by improperly discarded smoking material.

Approximately 85 firefighters responded to the scene to fight the fire. A total of five occupants of the home are displaced as a result of the fire. Damages are estimated to be $400,000.00 to the structure and $200,000.00 to the contents of the home.

When smoking outside MCFRS, along with its partners in safety at NFPA and the US Fire Administration, recommend the following:

• Do not discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grass, leaves and other things that could easily ignite.


• Put your cigarette out in an ashtray or bucket with sand. Use ashtrays with a wide base so they won’t tip over and start a fire.

Gaithersburg House Fire – Two Dogs Rescued

On Wednesday, March 9 at approximately 2:30 p.m., MCFRS units were dispatched to 7 Quantum Place in Gaithersburg for the report of flames coming from the rear of a house. Units arrived on scene and reported that fire was showing from the roof a two story single family home.

Crews were able to quickly bring the fire, originating in a second floor bedroom, under control. Firefighters also rescued two family dogs who were home at the time of the fire. The family, two adults and two children, were not home at the time of the fire.

At the time of the fire a construction company was performing remodeling work on the first floor of the home.  Around 2:30 p.m. one of the workers smelled smoke and alerted his co-workers who proceeded to check the house. Eventually they made their way to the second floor and found smoke in the master bedroom after which they exited the home.

Fire Investigators were summoned and initiated a cause and origin investigation. It was determined that the fire was electrical in nature, likely associated with a ceiling fan.

During the course of operations, two firefighters sustained minor injuries and were transported to area hospitals for a checkup. Damages were estimated at $200,000.00 to the structure and $50,000.00 to the contents of the home. The family of four and their dogs were displaced as a result.

House Fire in the 9500 Block of Biltmore Drive, Silver Spring

At approximately 5:45 PM on Sunday, January 31 MCFRS was notified by a monitoring company, via an automatic/monitored alarm in the home, that there was a smoke alarm activation at a home in the 9500 block of Biltmore Drive in Silver Spring.

Crews from Silver Spring Fire Station #16 responded and upon arriving on scene, found fire in the basement of the two story home.  The fire was in the laundry room with some extension to the first floor.  Additional units were requested and responded.

Two adults and one child in the home were alerted to the fire by a working smoke alarm and evacuated. 

In addition, firefighters were able to quickly locate, and use, the nearest fire hydrant as neighbors had previously shoveled and cleared around the hydrant located at Biltmore Drive and E. Franklin Avenue.  Well done neighbors!

The fire was quickly extinguished.  One adult occupant did suffer a little smoke inhalation and was transported to a local hospital for a checkup.  There were no firefighter injuries.

Cause of the fire was listed as accidental as a result of an overheated clothes dryer. Damages were estimated to be approximately $135K.  The family was displaced as a result of the damage to the home.

Recently, MCFRS has responded to several fires involving clothes dryers.  Learn a few tips to help prevent this: Clothes Dryer Cleaning Day – Preventing A Potential Fire In Your Home!