Misuse of a power strip caused Gaithersburg fire
Three were people displaced after a high-rise fire in Gaithersburg, Md. (Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, Twitter)
Kenny Gamble, WUSA9, with permission
GAITHERSBURG, Md. (WUSA9) – Three people are displaced after an early morning apartment fire in Gaithersburg.
Firefighters were called to the 9700 block of Fields Road in Gaithersburg early Wednesday morning for a report of a fire in a high-rise apartment building.
Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from the sixth floor of the 27-story Washington Towers Apartments.
According to fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer, occupants of the apartment discovered the fire. One person tried unsuccessfully to put out the fire after leading his mother to safety.
Investigators said the fire started because of the misuse of an electrical power strip and caused about $30,000 in damage.
Piringer said three occupants were displaced and two were transported to the hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.
