Wednesday’s night ice storm resulted in vehicle crashes, downed trees and wires, transformer fires and damaged utility poles across Montgomery County on Thursday morning, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) spokesperson Pete Piringer.
The National Weather Service had issued a winter weather advisory for central and southeast Montgomery County beginning 9 p.m. Wednesday and ending 10 a.m. Thursday. According to the advisory, the Washington, D.C., area was expected to see up to 1 inch of snow and sleet and up to one-tenth of an inch of ice.
On Thursday morning, MCFRS crews responded to a transformer fire resulting from downed wires at Seven Locks Road and Bell Mill Road in Potomac, Piringer wrote on social media. Crews also responded to transformer fires in Silver Spring in the Plyers Mill Estates neighborhood at Hutting Place and Harmon Road, near Plyers Mill Road and Georgia Avenue; as well as at Eden Road and Milestone Drive in White Oak; and at Kenbrook Drive near Healy Street.
Downed wires at Old Columbia Pike and Stewart Lane in White Oak resulted in a small brush fire and power outage at the intersection, according to Piringer. Drivers are asked to treat non-functioning traffic lights as four-way stops and follow traffic directions from police.
Another incident resulted in telecommunications wires falling on top of a school bus on Idlewood Road near Viers Mill Elementary School in Silver Spring, according to Piringer. There were no passengers on board at the time.
According to Piringer, MCFRS crews responded to dozens of reports of downed wires Thursday morning across the county, requiring road and lane closures in some instances. Down trees were reported at Macarthur Boulevard and Walhonding Road in Bethesda, resulting in the closure of several traffic lanes and power outages in the area. Another downed tree brought down wires at Willowbrook Drive near Bradley Boulevard in Potomac. Wires down across the road at Shepherd Street near Fulton Street in Chevy Chase blocked lanes of traffic.
Lanes were blocked after a vehicle crashed into a utility pole on Mullinix Mill Road near Long Corner Road in Damascus, according to Piringer. Multiple collisions were also reported on and near entrances to I-495 in Silver Spring and on I-270 in Rockville.
Local officials encouraged drivers to exercise caution and follow traffic instructions when driving in the county Thursday morning, as some travel lanes may still be closed.
Piringer encouraged county residents to call 911 only for emergencies or to report downed or arching or smoking wires. Power outages should be reported directly to the service provider:
- BG&E: 1-877-778-2222;
- First Energy: 1-888-544-4877; or
- PEPCO: 1-877-737-2662.
