On Nov. 3, a woman died in a fire in Wheaton.
Montgomery County Fire Rescue sounded box 2113 at approximately 4 a.m. for a house fire on the 4700 block of Iris Street. Crews found heavy fire from the basement and first floor. A rapid intervention dispatch and task force were requested to assist.
A person met crews in the front yard and confirmed that there was someone trapped inside the house.
Crews conducted a rapid search of the bedroom through a second floor window using the vent, enter and search technique and were assisted with additional interior crews.
A victim was located in a bedroom in quadrant B, however extrication was impeded due to the elevated height of the windows in the bedroom and fire blocking the exit through the house. Rescue Squad 742 driver worked with Aerial Tower 718 to cut away the window sill using a saw. Visibility at the window was poor due to heavy smoke from the basement and first floors. After the window sill was removed, Rescue Squad 742 driver ascended the ladder, met with a crew from Engine 718 and removed the victim down via a ground ladder from the second floor.
Conditions in the bedroom rapidly deteriorated as the bedroom door burned through. Rescue Squad 742 driver entered the bedroom to assist interior crews and guide them to the wall where the window sill had been removed.
Command sounded the evacuation tones soon after an adjacent bedroom reached the flashover stage. Crews rapidly exited the bedroom just prior to flames extending from the windows.
Firefighting was limited to exterior operations for the remainder of the incident.
