Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire in the attached garage of a two-story single-family home on Bargene Way in Germantown around 2:30am on Thursday.
According to Chief Spokesperson for MCFRS Pete Piringer, the fire was caused by either an electric heater or improperly discarded smoking materials in a plastic trash container. The fire, which caused approximately $75,000 in damage, displaced five adults and one child, with no injuries reported.
Despite functional smoke alarms, residents initially ignored multiple activations due to cooking, delaying the 911 call until smoke was noticed coming through a wall near the garage. Approximately 55 MCFRS firefighters responded to the incident.
(~230a) 20400blk Bargene Way, Germantown, 2-sty single family house, fire in attached garage; Origin/Cause, accidental/undetermined, garage wall adjacent to living room (2 ignition sources were ID’d) electric heater & plastic trash container used for discarding smoking materials pic.twitter.com/oxinZZFfoB
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) April 17, 2025