Dog Dies After Fire Ravages Bethesda Home, Causes $1.5M In Damages

Updated at 3:56 p.m.

BETHESDA, MD — A family of four was displaced Monday after a large fire broke out at a Bethesda home, amounting to an estimated $1.5 million in damage.

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The blaze was reported at a three-story, single-family home on the 5900 block of Sonoma Road just after 11:30 a.m. by a neighbor who had seen the fire while outside.

Pete Piringer, a spokesperson with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said a small pet dog located in the home did not survive.

Aside from the dog, no one else was home when the fire broke out. One firefighter suffered minor injuries.

Piringer said up to 75 firefighters responded to the scene, and that investigators traced the origin of the fire to an electric scooter and a tennis ball server that were plugged in at the time of the fire. Both devices were powered by lithium-ion batteries.

Officials had previously said the accidental fire started near the utility room on the first floor of the home.

"It did take about 20 minutes to knock down a bulk of the fire," Piringer said. "Pretty significant damage to the home."

An investigation into the fire remains ongoing.