A fire at a high-rise building in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday morning has displaced more than 1,100 people, many of whom were unsure where they would sleep at night.
Six residents were taken to a hospital for evaluation related to smoke inhalation, and one firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion.
An electrical fire broke out at The Promenade Towers on the 5200 block of Pooks Hill Road, forcing residents out of their homes. Some of the residents are senior citizens and use wheelchairs and walkers.
Officials got the first calls about the fire about 9 a.m.
One resident, Jean Rozansky, said she helped a deaf neighbor who uses a walker. The woman was afraid.
"She didn't understand what I was saying," the neighbor said. She held the woman by the shoulders and tried to comfort her.
"We're safe. We're going to be fine," she recalled saying.
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Rozansky said that at first she thought the fire alarms were just a drill. She said she saw smoke from her 18th floor apartment and knew it was time to leave.
Firefighters got the transformer fire under control about 11 a.m., but it was still burning.
Some residents were taken out of the building, while others sheltered in place, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue.
More than 1,100 residents from the complex's North Tower will be displaced overnight. The building has no electricity or running water, and the elevators do not work.
Some residents in the complex's South Tower were allowed back into the building about 2 p.m.
Investigators said the fire involved the power feed into the complex, resulting in about $1 million in damage.
The Red Cross is assisting those who are displaced.
