Montgomery County, Maryland, firefighters battled a two-alarm fire on the 12th floor of a Bethesda apartment building Sunday morning while evacuating residents, a spokesman for the department says. The fire, on 5101 River Rd. at Kenwood Apartments, started around 9:30 a.m. and was extinguished 10 to 15 minutes after firefighters went into the apartment, spokesperson Pete Piringer said.
When firefighters arrived, they saw smoke and a “significant fire.” They set off the alarm since the apartment building has a manual system that requires someone to pull the alarm to notify others of the fire. “There was some pretty significant smoke, but for the most part, it was confined to contain to the 12th floor,” Piringer told WTOP’s Shayna Estulin. An man who was found in the unit that was on fire was transported to the hospital for smoke inhalation, Piringer said. He also added that the man had mobility issues but was conscious and breathing. He’s expected to be OK. Piringer said there were no other injuries reported.
Update — 2nd Alarm Kenwood apartments, @mcfrs firefighters locate and remove one person from fire apartment, @MCFRS_EMIHS evaluating, building being evacuated, fire under control https://t.co/s8AJ5gG2WX pic.twitter.com/D5LUvO0jAP
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) February 6, 2022
Most residents of the 15-story building sheltered on the second floor of the building or sheltered in place. “A lot of these people have mobility issues, and we had to assist a lot of them, just relocating them to other areas,” Piringer told WTOP. “But for the most part, the floor of most concern was the 12th floor.” The WTOP Traffic center reports River Road is closed in both directions from Little Falls Parkway to Ridgefield Rd. to Brookside Dr. 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.
Update — Kenwood Apartments, 5101 River Rd., Bethesda, air temp 28° ‘feels-like’ 21°, ~85 @mcfrs FFs on scene incl mutual aid @ffxfirerescue https://t.co/jnif2edffD pic.twitter.com/ShhMcX7KF9
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) February 6, 2022
The cause of the fire is being investigated but Piringer said it appears to be an accident. Around 85 firefighters were dispatched to the area, Piringer said, because of the potential need to evacuate the building. Somewhere between one and three apartments were affected by smoke and water, Piringer said. But otherwise most residents have been able to return to their apartments as the majority of damage in the apartment where the fire started. WTOP’s Shayna Estulin contributed to this report.