Update: Residential Fire Causes Significant Damage; No Injuries

Update - Nov. 22, 2011 at 3:30 p.m.

No one was injured in a residential fire in the 15400 block of Quail Run Drive in Darnestown on Tuesday morning, a county fire and rescue spokesman said.

Dispatch was notified of the fire at the two-story, single family home at 11:37 a.m., Capt. Oscar Garcia said.

“Firefighters encountered fire conditions in the lower-level basement that did extend through the walls to the first and second floor,” Garcia said.

Nearly two-dozen fire and rescue units were on scene due to the large square footage of the house, said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service Chief Richard Bowers.

The cause is under investigation, Bowers said.

“It took about 30 minutes to extinguish the bulk of [the fire],” Garcia said. “Fifty to 55 firefighters were on scene at the height of operations. The origins [of the fire] appear to be in the lower level basement area near a utility room where the furnace and water heater are housed.”

No residents were home at the time of the fire.

Patrick Samsel, who lives in the home with his parents, said he returned home from work after being told of the fire by his brother.

The basement had flooded in August due to rain from Hurricane Irene and a work crew was fixing the damage, Samsel said.

Two workers had gone outside for a short break before finding the fire.

“[The workers] said they went to turn around and go get something from the garage and heard a noise and then felt some heat, and that’s that,” Samsel said. “They got out of the house.”

Samsel was the lone resident tending to the home while his parents were out of town, he said.

Neighbor Jack Hart was working at home when he noticed a police car out front.

“I saw the police car stop in front of my house and then she pulled down a little further and then she got out and started running,” Hart said. “I said, ‘Hmm, something’s wrong.’ So I went outside and she was yelling ‘Get out of the house!’ and I still didn’t know what the problem was. 

“And then they came out and said ‘Fire in the basement,’ and the fire trucks started coming, streaming down the street,” he said.

The house sustained extensive damage, which is expected to total well in excess of $300,000, Garcia said. A pet cat is still unaccounted for, he said.

Original Post - Nov. 22, 2011 at 1:48 p.m.

A residential fire on the 15400 block of Quail Run Drive in Darnestown this morning is under control, Montgomery County Fire Chief Richard Bowers said.

The fire started in the basement of the home and spread up to the main floor, causing significant damage, but no one was injured, Bowers said, adding that firefighters needed about 40 minutes to put it out.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, Bowers said.