A woman has died after a fire broke out in a house in Bethesda, Maryland, on Thursday afternoon. The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said a fire erupted in the basement of a two-story house on Persimmon Tree Road near Eggert Drive around 3:40 p.m. Pete Piringer, spokesman for the fire department, said 60 firefighters reported to the scene. Initial reports indicated there was smoke and someone trapped inside. Firefighters found an unconscious adult in the home and attempted to revive the person but were unsuccessful.
Update – Fatal Fire, Persimmon Tree Rd, fire in basement extinguished, ~60 FFs on scene, upon arrival initial report of person trapped/still inside, within 2/3 minutes 1 unconscious adult was located & rescued/removed, an exhaustive effort to revive the person was unsuccessful https://t.co/fwUkrloGuv pic.twitter.com/ct9v989V7L
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) September 11, 2025
Fire Chief Corey Smedley told WTOP that the “elderly woman” who died was going into cardiac arrest when first responders got to her. After several minutes of CPR, they were unable to revive her, Smedley said. Three other people in the house were evacuated and no other injuries were reported. Montgomery County police say they’re now conducting a death investigation.