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Woman rescued from 2-alarm apartment fire in Aspen Hill, firefighters say

A neighbor described the fire like a scene out of the movie 'Backdraft'

ASPEN HILL, Md. — A two-alarm fire at a four-story apartment building in Montgomery County sent at least two people to the hospital and forced several people from their homes Tuesday night.

The fire was first reported around 10 p.m. at the Grand Bel II Condos located in the 3900 block of Bel Pre Road. Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews arrived within minutes to find fire in a top floor apartment with flames showing and the fire well advanced in a top floor apartment. 

A neighbor who was asleep when the fire broke out described what he saw on the top floor when he got out of the apartment with his kids.

"I can just tell you it was like one of those movie-type settings. Like 'Backdraft.' The fire was that intense," Shawn Foster said. "You could feel the heat from pretty far away, the intensity of the heat. It illuminated the whole back yard."

Firefighters rescued a woman from her bedroom in the fourth floor apartment. She was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, but her condition is not known at this time.

Credit: WUSA9
A look at some of the damage to a top-floor apartment after a two-alarm apartment fire in Aspen Hill.

About 70 firefighters responded to get the blaze under control. 

Pete Piringer, Public Information Officer with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said in a tweet that at least one other person was hospitalized in the fire, but did not offer details about the extent of that person's injuries.

The fire displaced 23 people, including 13 kids, of the complex Tuesday. The Red Cross responded to help those forced from their homes.

Investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire, but Piringer said in a tweet that it was likely due to improperly disposed smoking material.

Piringer said the fire caused an estimated $700,000 worth of damage to the complex.

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