Fire officials said 'smoking materials' were to blame for Friday night's high-rise fire, which claimed the life of an elderly woman and led to the evacuation of dozens of senior citizens.
The blaze was reported at about 8:45 p.m. inside a seventh-floor apartment in the Highland House on Wisconsin Avenue.
An elderly man who said his wife was still inside the burning apartment confronted arriving firefighters, who then worked their way through moderate smoke in the hallway and heavy smoke in the apartment.
There, they found 83-year-old Leona Schwartz with severe burns and smoke inhalation. She was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to her injuries Saturday morning.
Nathan Schwartz, 93, was being treated for possible smoke inhalation and minor burns, and another resident suffered a minor leg injury.
Investigators said the fire originated on a recliner in the living room of the apartment where the couple was watching TV. They believe Leona Schwartz was a heavy smoker, the fire apparently began on her clothing, and her husband's injuries indicate that he made attempts to help his wife before going for help and accidentally getting locked out.
Other residents fled down stairwells that were, in some cases, filled with smoke, and some had to be carried down stairs by emergency responders.
The fire was contained to the original apartment and extinguished. Damage was estimated to be about $10,000.
Most residents were able to return to their apartments by 10:30 p.m. The southbound side of Wisconsin Avenue was closed to traffic for more than an hour.
Schwartz was Montgomery County's fourth residential fire fatality of 2006, and eighth victim out of the past nine over the age of 75.
Calling it a trend, county officials said in a press release that they earlier established a Senior Citizen Fire Safety Task Force to further investigate.
The task force's goals include finding approaches to reduce fire risk, injury, and deaths among senior citizens; looking at demographic and community changes (such as housing density) that affect safety of the elderly; and educational efforts to improve awareness among senior citizens and their caregivers of fire injury and death prevention strategies.
