Cat Killed, Woman Suffers Burn Injuries After MoCo Apartment Fire

SILVER SPRING, MD — A cat died and a woman was hospitalized after a fire broke out inside a 15-story apartment in Silver Spring late Friday.

The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said the fire occurred inside a unit on the eighth floor of the Blair Plaza apartments on the 1400 block of Blair Mill Road.

Authorities responded to the scene at about 10:15 p.m., finding a woman who suffered non-life-threatening burns while attempting to fight the fire.

Inside the apartment were also two cats, one of whom died.

MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said the origin of the fire was traced to a candle that was inside a closet.

Officials did not detail the estimate cost of the damages but did indicate that in addition to the fire inside the originating unit, two other units on the same floor sustained water damage.

Both the woman and the second cat were displaced in the aftermath. MCFRS said the pair were being assisted by the building management.

About 70 firefighters had responded to the scene.