Investigators with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Department said improperly handled fireplace ashes were to blame for a fire that severely damaged a large home and displaced a family of four.
Fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said the fire broke out about 4:30 Thursday evening in the 3400 block of Taylor Avenue in Chevy Chase, Md.
The home was already fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, Piringer said. The fire went to two alarms and it took about 75 firefighters about an hour to control it.
Fire crews were evacuated from the building at about 5:30 p.m. just before the roof and top floor of the structure collapsed. Firefighters then worked from the outside to try to extinguish the blaze.
Two firefighters suffered minor injuries fighting the blaze and Piringer said a family dog was killed.
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