Montgomery Community Media

Winter time for fire and safety crews can be the busiest time of year. Last weekend was unusually busy for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, according to the department’s spokesperson, Pete Piringer. The reason? Well in addition to broken pipes, the mishandling of chimney and fireplace ashes contributed to several significant fires last weekend. […]

Update (~630p) 1718 Republic Rd; singe family house; Cause, accidental, electrical; Area of Origin, bsmt bedroom; Damage, $125K; at least 3 displaced; no one home at time, no injury, >50 FFs OS pic.twitter.com/gw24IdyB1m — Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) November 20, 2017 A Sunday night fire in Silver Spring displaced three people, a Montgomery County Fire and […]

A Thursday night fire in the walls of a Rockville apartment building displaced nine families and caused more than $250,000 in damages, a fire spokesman said. It was likely an accidental fire caused by smoking materials, said Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue. The fire, at the Galvan apartments in the 1800 […]

Residents are moving back into the Promenade Towers as electricity was restored over the weekend, said Carl Hyde on Monday. Hyde is the property’s community manager. A fire knocked out electrical equipment Saturday, Oct. 21. In its north and south towers, the 18-story Promenade has more than 1,000 units, Hyde said. About 500 units were […]

A fire at the Promenade Apartments in Bethesda sent 18 people to the hospital, six with smoke inhalation, and displaced hundreds of others, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services. One firefighter was taken to a hospital for heat exhaustion. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents, MCFRS said. The fire caused […]

https://twitter.com/mcfrspio4/status/907002368675520512 Updated, Sept. 27, 12:40 p.m.: Montgomery County police reported Wednesday that the victim in the fire had been identified as  Askia Khafra, age 21, of the 700 block of Wayne Avenue in Silver Spring. A police statement said Khafra’s autopsy results are pending.  A further update will be provided once the Office of the Chief […]

Nine new housing code specialists are being hired to increase the frequency of inspections at multi-family dwellings in Montgomery County. The County Council approved a new Landlord-Tenants bill in November, a little more than three months after a natural gas explosion and fire killed seven people at the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring. The […]

Firefighters had to contend with the possessions of a hoarder to fight a fire in Silver Spring on Sunday. A passer-by saw smoke in the home, in the 10000 block of Greenock Road, and called 911, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said. When firefighters arrived, “they were challenged by a pretty extreme […]

A slipped belt on a rooftop air conditioning unit prompted a call for fire trucks at the Council Office Building in Rockville on Thursday. David Dise, director of the Montgomery County Department of General Services, said the belt caused smoke, which got into the building’s ventilation system. The unit was replaced, Dise said. By about […]

Sunflowers, politics, shopping and, of course, public safety were among our top stories for last week.