Maryland Woman Hurt in High-Rise Fire

A high-rise fire Friday night left two people hospitalized, one of them in extremely critical condition, officials said, and led to the evacuation of dozens of senior citizens. The blaze broke out just before 9:00 p.m. inside a seventh-floor apartment in the Highland House on Wisconsin Avenue. "We did have two victims in the apartment, and they were rescued by firefighters. One of whom has some serious, critical injuries from burns and smoke inhalation. The other, an adult male, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation," said Pete Piringer of the Montgomery County Fire Department. Other residents fled down stairwells that were, in some cases, filled with smoke. There was little damage visible from outside the building, but some residents were still in the lobby waiting to get back inside their apartments two hours after the blaze. Dozens of firefighters responded to the scene, due to the fact the building was a high-rise and home to a number of senior citizens. The southbound side of Wisconsin Avenue was closed to traffic for more than an hour. The fire department had some experience evacuating the Highland House building and carrying residents down stairs, as they did so during a major power outage a few years ago.