Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service (MCFRS) personnel handled 142,617 incidents during 2024, which is a 5% increase as compared to the previous year.
The busiest fire and rescue stations were Gaithersburg-Washington Grove with 19,540 calls, Aspen Hill with 17,466 calls, Rockville with 15,140 calls, Travilah with 13,067 calls and Twinbrook with 11,607 calls.
A Sept. 24 fire at a former elementary school in Silver Spring that was in the process of being demolished burned caused the most damage of any fire in the county during 2024. Total damage was estimated at $18.7 million, according to MCFRS Spokesperson Pete Piringer.
There were no injuries, and no one was inside the former site of the Joann Lelek Elementary School at Broad Acres on Beacon Drive. The fire started around 8:30 p.m.
The second largest loss due to fire occurred Aug. 17 at an apartment building on Clarksburg Square Road. Total damage was estimated at $10.5 million, according to Piringer.
The third largest financial loss occurred at the Seventh Day Adventist Church on New Hampshire Avenue on Aug. 9. Damage there was estimated at $6.2 million.
A fire at a single-family home on Peachtree Road in Barnsville was the fourth largest loss due to fire in the county. That fire on Nov. 11 caused greater than $5 million in damages.
Next was an April 30 fire at a single-family home on Primula Lane in Laytonsville. That fire caused about $1.6 million in damages.
Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley sums up 2024 and looks forward to a safe year in 2025. To those who are there to help when needed, Smedley said, "I am so proud to be your fire chief." @mymcmedia @mcfrsPIO @mcfrsPIO https://t.co/T9qgeuXCju
— suzanne pollak (@SuzannePollak) January 1, 2025
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