A fire damaged a two-story townhouse Sunday morning on Shelldrake Court off Valley Park Drive in Damascus, prompting a large response from the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.
According to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer, the fire originated in a second-floor bedroom, with the fire ruled accidental after an open flame was too close to combustible materials. Two young children alerted adults in the home. Both adults were injured while attempting to fight the fire and were transported by emergency medical personnel with burn injuries and smoke inhalation. The home sustained an estimated $400,000 in damage, and a family of four, including two adults and two children, was displaced.
About 60 firefighters responded and worked in below-freezing conditions to bring the fire under control.
