Montgomery County fire officials responded to a burning pickup and downed live wires in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Wednesday morning. Videos from Montgomery County Fire and EMS spokesman Pete Piringer showed a white pickup truck on fire at the intersection of Muddy Branch Road and Md. Route 117/West Diamond Avenue, with electrical wires sparking over the truck’s hood:
W Diamond Av & Muddy Branch Rd, Live wires down on vehicle, vehicle burning, @mcfrs on scene awaiting for Pepco, road closed https://t.co/eLYGIhd2vI pic.twitter.com/8pnDC8S6ad
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) May 5, 2021
Over 100 PEPCO customers were without power in the area as of 9 a.m. Wednesday. PEPCO crews were called to de-energize the cables and conduct an investigation; power is expected to be restored by early afternoon. The wires fell on the car with the driver still inside, Piringer told WTOP. They were able to escape without injury. It remains unclear what led to the crash. The WTOP Traffic Center reports all road closures have ended on W. Diamond Avenue and Muddy Branch Road. For the latest road and traffic conditions, see WTOP’s traffic page or listen to updates every 10 minutes online or on the air at 103.5 FM. Below is a map of the area: [google_map latitude=”39.14012978″ longitude=”-77.20493495″ zoom=”14″ height=”300px” location_label=”west diamond ave” dynamic_map=”false”] WTOP’s Nardos Mesmer contributed to this report.