5 displaced after massive fire destroys Montgomery County home
5 displaced after massive fire burns destroys Montgomery Co. home
A family is grateful to be safe and unharmed after a massive fire ripped through a home in Montgomery County. The flames spread rapidly but thankfully, everyone inside escaped to safety. FOX 5's Julie Donaldson reports.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. - A family is grateful to be safe and unharmed after a massive fire ripped through a home in Montgomery County.
The flames spread rapidly but thankfully, everyone inside escaped to safety.
What we know:
What happened along Churchill Downs Road on Friday was scary and devastating for the family. But despite the immense damage, they’re grateful as five people were in the home at the time and no one was injured.
The owners of the house, we’re told, are out of town and their family was there house sitting.
"I was out walking the dog and I saw the three girls out and the two neighbor boys had come down. It was very clear there was a fire coming from either outside the garage or inside the garage. It was a big fire," one woman who witnessed the blaze said.
A neighbor who did not want to go on camera told FOX 5 that he was outside and smelled smoke. He said he thought it might have been someone cooking but when he went to the house, he saw the flames coming from a trash can outside the garage. He quickly alerted the family to get out of the home while his father called 911.
Quick response:
Neighbors across the street say fire and emergency crews came within five minutes. In total, over 70 emergency personnel worked for over three hours putting the flames out.
Tankers had to provide water as the neighborhood works on a well system while the Red Cross assisted the family.
FOX 5 did speak with some of the family members off camera. They were pretty shaken up—the grandparents in shock—but saying they are relieved that everyone is ok.
As for the kids, the woman who spoke with FOX 5 said they were dismayed.
"They were younger—I don’t know their ages but maybe late teens—and obviously clearly upset and home alone, the three of them," she said. "Very scary situation. Very upset. Everyone was upset. No one wants to see this happen.
Roads were blocked in the area for quite some time due to the emergency response but have since reopened.