Lighting-Strike in Germantown Causes $2.5 Million in Damages

During a severe thunderstorm on Aug. 10, lightning struck an apartment building off of Cloppers Mill Drive near Great Seneca Highway at around 5 p.m., causing a fire that rendered it uninhabitable.

According to tweets from Pete Piringer, the chief spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service, the fire caused approximately $2.5 million worth of damage to 13111 Millhaven Place, an apartment complex made up of 12 units.

“At just about 5 p.m. there was a severe thunderstorm coming through this area of the county and a building fire started off this part of Cloppers Mill [Drive],” Scott Goldstein, the fire chief for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said in a video tweeted by Piringer. “About 80 fire rescue personnel came to the scene.”

Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein with brief update from the scene of @mcfrs 2-Alarm fire in Germantown, MD @MontgomeryCoMD https://t.co/BeNteA9tk3 pic.twitter.com/qi9VQTqA5U

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) August 11, 2021

While the fire displaced about 25 residents, there were no serious injuries to anyone living in the building. According to Goldstein, two firefighters sustained minor injuries from the fire and were taken to local hospitals.

About Maya Rosenberg

Maya Rosenberg was a rising senior at the University of Maryland during the summer of 2021. She was studying journalism and public policy with a minor in Spanish. As a Montgomery County native, she was incredibly excited to spend her summer reporting for MyMCMedia.

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