Rockville fire displaces residents

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a fire in the 1700 block of Pasture Brook Way in Rockville around 9:45 last night. They found a 3-story home ablaze in heavy fire. The initial investigation suggests the cause was ashes that had been disposed of in the garage, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer. Fire spread from the garage to the rest of the home, he said.

Over 75 firefighters were needed to extinguish the heavy flames. Neighbors called 911 to report the fire, Piringer said. Damage is estimated at over $600,000, and two adult residents have been displaced.

Piringer stressed the importance of properly disposing of fireplace ashes. Place them in a metal container with a lid, and never in a cardboard box, plastic trash can or bag. Once filled, place the container outside away from your house, or any combustible material. Never place ashes in the garage.

Photo: Pete Piringer/MCFRS

Assault on Rockville Pike this morning

Paramedics were called to what a 911 dispatcher described as a "garage behind Bed Bath and Beyond" on Rockville Pike just after 5:00 AM this morning. They were told they would find the victim of an assault at that location. No further details were immediately available.

Fire at Fallsgrove apartment building

A kitchen fire triggered the sprinkler system at an apartment building in the 700 block of Fallsgrove Drive around 10:45 PM last night. The small fire was quickly extinguished, but produced some smoke, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. No injuries were reported.

Montgomery County 911 service is down

Montgomery County's 911 emergency line, and non-emergency police lines are temporarily down, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. They are advising citizens seeking police help to call their district station directly, which can be found online. 240-773-6070 is the number for the 1st District station in Rockville.

For fire and rescue, call your closest station directly, using this site.

No cause for the outage has been reported yet.

Multiple injuries in wreck on First Street in Rockville

At least one person was trapped, and several victims were transported to local hospitals, after a 3-car crash on First Street at Maple Avenue in Rockville last night. The street had to be temporarily shut down while Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel tended to multiple injuries at the scene. No word yet on what caused the wreck.

Photo by Pete Piringer/MCFRS

Rockville shooting suspect still at large

Scene of Rockville shooting,
the 300 block of Martins Lane

A woman drove up to the Rockville Volunteer Fire Station No. 3 on Hungerford Drive just before 8:00 last night, and reported she had just been shot in the leg while driving a few blocks away. Rockville Police reported receiving calls minutes earlier regarding shots being fired in the 300 block of Martins Lane, where the victim was driving at the time.

The driver's side door of the victim's SUV, which was left in the driveway of the fire station, sported a coin-size hole. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said the victim was transported Priority 1 to a local hospital. She is expected to recover.

No description of a suspect has been released so far, in what some public safety officials and media have described as a "drive by shooting." This was the second shooting in Montgomery County in 24 hours, following the early morning homicide in Damascus.

Burning bed at Americana Center evacuates residents

Montgomery County firefighters responded to the Americana Center last night around 9:45 PM, after a mattress caught fire on the 13th floor of the building. A partial evacuation was required due to smoke, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighters quickly got the fire under control, however. No injuries were reported.

AMBULANCE STRUCK EN ROUTE TO HOSPITAL WITH PATIENT ABOARD IN ROCKVILLE (PHOTO)

A Montgomery County Fire and Rescue EMS unit was en route to Shady Grove Hospital with a patient aboard when it was struck at the intersection of Shady Grove Road and Key West Avenue Monday evening. An occupant of the civilian vehicle that was involved in the collision suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer.

Photo courtesy of Pete Piringer

FIRE EXTINGUISHED AT KARMA ACADEMY ON WATTS BRANCH PARKWAY

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue responded to a multiple alarm blaze on Watts Branch Parkway this morning in Rockville.

MCFRS Public Information Officer Scott Graham described the fire as "heavy," but reported no injuries.

Firefighters successfully put out the flames, and Graham says investigators are now looking into the cause of the fire, which was at the Karma Academy, he said.