A man is dead, and a woman is critically injured after a blaze tore through a house in Montgomery County, Maryland, late Monday, sending a family with children out into the cold, officials said.
Firefighters responded to the 13400 block of Oriental Street in Aspen Hill Park about 11:15 p.m. and found flames extending from lower levels to the second floor, Montgomery County fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer said.
Two people were found unconscious in an upstairs bedroom and rescued. The man was pronounced dead at a hospital, Piringer said.
A family of five from El Salvador, including a small girl and a 4-month-old baby, who lived in the basement were able to escape and stay in a neighbor’s home. The mother in that family said her son's godmother was injured trying to rescue her father from the blaze.
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An electrical panel in the basement caused the fire, and the home sustained $225,000 in damage, Piringer said.
Stay with News4 for more on this developing story.