MoCo First Responders Injured, 5 Displaced After Lightning Sparks $850K House Fire

Updated Monday, 9:47 a.m.

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Five people were displaced and one firefighter was injured after a house fire early Saturday, according to officials.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service crews were dispatched around 7 a.m. to the 9200 block of Warfield Road in Gaithersburg, where they found heavy fire coming through the roof of the home.

All five occupants — three adults and two children — escaped before firefighters arrived.

First Responders Injured

Firefighters initially began an interior attack but were forced to withdraw after portions of the home's roof collapsed. Crews then battled the blaze from outside the home.

One firefighter was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A fire and rescue support volunteer was also hospitalized for an unrelated medical issue.

Lightning Strikes Cause Damages

MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said the house fire was ignited by lightning strikes that had impacted the area between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Saturday.

It wasn't until around 7 a.m. that the family began to smell smoke and exited the residence.

Piringer said the blaze resulted in about $850,000 in damages.

The displaced residents are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross.