Crime & Safety
Officials: Spontaneous Combustion Caused House Fire in Darnestown
The fire reportedly left an estimated $1.5 million worth of damage.
A family of six is safe after a spontaneous combustion caused their home to go up in flames Thursday night, Montgomery County Fire investigators have determined.
About 75 firefighters responded to reports of the fire off the 25100 block of Rollinmeade Drive, off Turkey Foot Road in Darnestown, WUSA9 reported. When they arrived, heavy flames consumed both floors of the home. The family, two adults and four kids, were safe and outside of the home.
Montgomery County Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer told the Sentinel that firefighters tried multiple times to enter the house, but they had to attack flames from outside because they weren't sure if the structure was sound.
Piringer said contractors working on the home's deck may have improperly discarded oily rags, paint brushes and similar items in a plastic bag, resulting in spontaneous combustion.
The fire reportedly left an estimated $1.5 million worth of damage.
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