WASHINGTON — Flames tore through a large home in North Bethesda Sunday night, causing more than $1 million in damage and displacing a family of five.
Crews with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene on Danville Drive, near Montrose Parkway, around 11:30 p.m. Sunday.
“Firefighters arrived to find very heavy fire conditions,” said department spokesman Pete Piringer.
“Initially there was a report of the family still being inside the house, however it was learned a short time later that the family in fact had already exited,” Piringer said.
Three adults and two children made it out of the home safely. The family’s pet cat is missing.
More than 85 firefighters responded to the two-alarm fire, and two of them were injured. Their injuries were minor, according to Piringer.
Fire investigators believe the fire was accidental, he said.
The fire started on a porch and spread to the rest of the home, causing $1.5 million in damage.
Fire officials plan to return Monday evening to the neighborhood where the fire took place to go door-to-door and check smoke alarms, Piringer said in a tweet.
October is fire prevention month, and the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue urges the public to test smoke alarms and talk with family members about what to do in the event of an emergency.
WTOP’s Rick Massimo contributed to this report.