Fire at Wells/Robertson House in Gaithersburg

UPDATED Montgomery County firefighters were dispatched shortly after 8 p.m. on March 12 for the report of a porch fire at One Wells Avenue in Gaithersburg at the Wells/Robertson House.

Beth Anne Nesselt, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said additional resources were requested as a precaution given the weather and high wind conditions.

“The fire was quickly extinguished — no extension into the structure,” said Nesselt. “It was determined that an improperly discarded cigarette caused the fire.”

Officials said no one at the Wells Robertson House was displaced by the blaze. The monetary cause of the damage has not been determined.

According to the city’s website, the Wells/Robertson House provides transitional housing for homeless men and women who have undergone alcohol/drug treatment or received other professional counseling and want to break the cycle of homelessness. The program helps residents learn how to be self-sufficient, working and functioning members of society.

For more information about the Wells/Robertson House, visit the city’s website at http://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/poi/default.asp?POI_ID=31&TOC=31;.

Photos | Tom Rowse

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Sonya Burke is the Multimedia Manager at Montgomery Community Media (MCM). You can email story ideas at sburke@mymcmedia.org or reach her on Twitter @SonyaNBurke.

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