Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Mustang Hill Lane Fire Displaces North Potomac Family

No injuries were reported. The fire remains under investigation.

Update, July 26, 5:30 p.m.: A North Potomac family is displaced after a fire ravaged their home on the 13,000 block of Mustang Hill Lane Sunday afternoon.

Montgomery County firefighters responded to heavy fire in the attic area of the home at 5:45 p.m. The fire was brought under control in 45 minutes, and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries, according to Assistant Chief Scott Graham.

The fire caused $300,000 of structural damage and $100,000 of damage to the contents in the home, said Beth Anne Nesselt, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service.

Patch was at the scene Monday and spoke with the homeowner, who asked not be identified.

The homeowner said that he and his three children saw the flames from the basement.

"We looked out the window well and saw the [back] fence on fire," he said. "We ran upstairs, got my wife and went out the front door. We saw the deck and house on fire at the corner."

The homeowner added that he ran to the back door to get the garden hose and attempted to douse the flames, while a neighbor called 911.

The family is currently staying with friends. "The house is unlivable—not even safe," the homeowner said

Two companies that specialize in insurance restoration also were on-site Monday to begin the process of recovery.

Jason Smith, vice president of South River Restoration, disaster recovery specialists, spoke about the approach he takes with property owners regarding contents restoration.

"We meet with the homeowner and do a walk-through and determine what's restorable and not restorable. We do a photograph inventory of restorable items and leave things on the premises that are not restorable," Smith said, adding that the company ensures the homeowner is reimbursed for items that are beyond restoration.

Sheril Pritchett, Field Claims Adjuster with Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co., said that she first learned of the fire at 8:30 p.m. Sunday and gave her "OK" to board up the home's windows and doors. But on Monday afternoon the boards were yet to be in place, and the homeowner expressed frustration with Nationwide's slow response.

A brief rainstorm passed through the area Monday afternoon as workers had to seek cover from the lightening. Rains lashed the home's second floor, which was open to the sky as a result of fire damage.

Pritchett said that workers were at the home at 8 a.m. Monday. "There's a process. We're right there. My people are there, walking him [homeowner] through."

Original post, July 24, 8:21 p.m.: At 5:45 p.m., Montgomery County Fire/Rescue responded to the 13,000 block of Mustang Hill Lane in North Potomac to heavy fire in the attic area of the home, said Assistant Chief Scott Graham.

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"The units on the scene initially requested a task force, but due to the potential for exposure issues immediately called for a second alarm assignment," Graham said.

The fire was brought under control in 45 minutes, and there were no civilian or firefighter injuries, Graham said.

Find out what's happening in North Potomac-Darnestownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The fire is under investigation for origin and cause.

Editor's Note: The house number on Mustang Hill Lane was incorrectly reported in the original story. We regret the error.


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