Firefighter Injured, 5 Displaced After Montgomery County House Fire

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 4:30 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 — had escaped before firefighters arrived.

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 also was hospitalized for an unrelated medical issue.

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

Officials said the residents reported strong lightning in the area several hours before the fire.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.