A woman remains hospitalized in critical condition after a fire in Montgomery Village broke out early on Easter Sunday leaving four injured and killing three dogs, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS).
About 75 firefighters responded to the 9600 block of Whetstone Drive just before 1 a.m., MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer said. With heavy fire conditions at the scene, all three occupants were evacuated but three dogs died.
Firefighters quickly rescued and resuscitated one trapped resident who was then transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, Piringer said. Two other residents and one firefighter were also transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries and have since been released.
The family is displaced and faces an estimated $750,000 in damages to their split-level home, according to Piringer. A lamp malfunction in a back screened-in porch likely led to the flames, officials said, but the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
MCFRS cleared the scene around 5:30 a.m., Piringer said. The home was equipped with working smoke detectors, which at least two occupants heard fire investigators claim. Firefighters returned to the neighborhood at 10 a.m. for the After-the-Fire safety initiative to check smoke alarms and discuss fire safety from door to door.
(Featured photo of the fire courtesy of MCFRS Chief Spokesperson Pete Piringer)
Update (~1a) Whetstone Dr, @mcfrs PE731, PE722, AT703, A708, CT708, MAU733, A708B, ALS708, A708, M731, A728 & others assisted, 3 occupants, 1 FF transported, 1 resident/occupant w/ Pri1 LT injuries, all others transported NLT , ~75 FFs on scene https://t.co/5oojf9Pd0D pic.twitter.com/X3W6fmZiQl
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 9, 2023
TODAY (4/9) @MontgomeryCoMD firefighters from nearby @mcfrs FS708 (Gaithersburg) will be returning to the Lakeside of Whetstone neighborhood going ‘door-to-door’ later this morning as part of Fire Chief’s ‘After-the-Fire’ safety initiative checking smoke alarms & more https://t.co/UfjinUQJDF pic.twitter.com/jHjIdqxdmx
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 9, 2023
