A fire at a home in Darnestown on Sunday evening killed a woman and two dogs, according to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue officials.
Firefighters got a call around 7:15 p.m. Sunday for a house fire on Darnestown Road just north of Md. 118 (known as Germantown Road), Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said in a video posted to Twitter.
Goldstein said firefighters found heavy fire in the one-and-a-half-story house and rescued one person, who was taken to the hospital with injuries considered life-threatening.
Pete Piringer, a Fire & Rescue spokesman, posted on Twitter Sunday night that six large dogs were in the house during the fire, and two died. The other four sheltered in place and were helped by animal services, he wrote.
In another post Monday morning, Piringer wrote that the woman who had been taken to the hospital had died of her injuries. He did not identify her.
FATAL Fire *Update (initial dispatch ~715p 2/21) 15001 Darnestown Rd, 1 adult female, succumbed to injuries (died at hospital); Cause, unknown malfunction or failure of an electrical component; Area of Origin, 1st floor living room; Damage ~$85K; 2 dogs died, 4 dogs survived https://t.co/PlhzaBP5Cz pic.twitter.com/vIRI234e2h
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) February 22, 2021
Piringer wrote on Monday that he thinks an electrical failure started the fire in the living room on the first floor, and caused about $85,000 in damage.
Goldstein said 45 to 50 firefighters responded to the scene, and controlled the fire within 15 minutes. He said the presence of “clutter” in the house made the job challenging.
The house where the fire occurred is in a rural western part of the county.
The portion of Md. 28 (Darnestown Road) between Md. 118 and Berryville Road was closed during the fire, Goldstein said.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media