Monitored Alarm Helps Maryland Family Escape Blaze

Fire officials in Montgomery County, Md., credit a family for quickly escaping their home and contacting firefighters after their home caught ablaze. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services spokesman Pete Piringer said the fire broke out just after 5 a.m. in the 900 block of Lindenhouse Road, in the Montgomery Village area of the county. Officials said a monitored alarm inside the home alerted the family to the fire and aided in their quick escape. Then once outside, Piringer said the family contacted 911. "When we got here, there was pretty heavy fire conditions in the garage that had already extended outside, up into the roof area and started to catch one of the neighbor's houses on fire," Piringer said. Because of the large volume of fire, Piringer said firefighters called for a second alarm and were able to quickly knock down the blaze as well as the fire that had spread to the neighbor's home. Investigators said they believe the fire started in the home's garage. Now they're trying to figure out exactly how it started.