Editor’s note: This article, originally published at 7:58 p.m. on Sept. 22, 2024, was updated at 10:59 a.m. on Sept. 23, 2024, with the latest information from county fire and rescue officials.
Several families and other residents were displaced Sunday afternoon after a fire broke out in a North Bethesda apartment building, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS).
The blaze resulted in less than $100,000 in damage to the building and displaced about 12 residents and several pets across seven apartment units, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote on social media.
MCFRS crews responded at about 4 p.m. to a report of a fire in a second-floor unit of a three-story building in the 5100 block of Crossfield Court, he said.
Piringer reported that firefighters found “fire in the walls” and the building was evacuated. Shortly before 6 p.m., he said the fire was under control and no one had been injured.
Officials determined that the fire was accidental and most likely started on or near a stovetop in a second-floor kitchen, Piringer said. The fire extended horizontally and vertically in the walls, and a smoke alarm was activated and “people got out,” he said.
The Red Cross is assisting those who were displaced, according to Piringer.
