Investigators search for Rockville fire cause

Montgomery County fire investigators are trying to determine the cause of a two-alarm fire at a Rockville apartment complex that sent three people to the hospital and displaced a dozen others.

The fire was reported around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning at the Mallard Cove Apartment complex in the 8100 block of Needwood Road in the Derwood community, according to county fire department spokesperson Pete Piringer.

When units arrived on the scene they encounter heavy fire showing from a ground level unit of a three-story garden style apartment building with a report of a person trapped inside the burning unit, Piringer said. Firefighters had a difficult time gaining access from the front door of the apartment and the patio doors due to hoarders conditions inside the apartment and the patio section of the apartment.

With a report of a person trapped and heavy fire condition upon arrival, a second alarm was sounded to bring more than 100 more firefighters to the scene.

As firefighters were making an aggressive attack on the fire, they located a 56-year-old man inside the apartment, Piringer said. He was taken to a local hospital suffering smoke inhalation and a 73-year-old male was also transported to a local hospital with chest pains.

A Montgomery County firefighter also was transported to a local hospital with a minor injury to her arm. She was treated and released.

Piringer said fire investigators believe the fire started on the patio and extended inside the apartment.

Red Cross will be helping displaced tenants relocate.

The fire caused about $ 30,000 in damage and the cause is currently unknown.

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Investigators search for Rockville fire cause