Apartment Blaze Displaces 100, Sends 10 to Hospital

A fast-moving fire in a Silver Spring apartment building Tuesday afternoon trapped several people, sent 10 to the hospital and displaced more than 100, NBC reported.

Altogether, 18 apartments of the complex in the 9300 block of Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, were ruined by fire, smoke or water damage, NBC Washington reported in a video clip.

The fire originated in an electrical outlet near a mattress, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, which was assisted by firefighters from Prince George's County, Howard County and Washington, DC, in putting out the fire.

After the mattress ignited, flames spread to upper floors of the apartment building through a pipe chase, according to a rescue service news advisory. In NBC Washington's video clip, massive flames burst out of windows and the roof of the building.

Firefighters began fighting the blaze shortly after 3:45 p.m. Tuesday and brought it under control in about two and a half hours, the rescue service reported.

Ten people—including three firefighters—were transported to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, the rescue service said.

The fire caused about $1 million in structural damages to the building, and about $500,000 in damages to the building's contents. The American Red Cross set up temporary operations at the Long Branch Community Recreation Center to help displaced residents, the rescue service added.