Crime & Safety

Grandma Fights Townhouse Blaze; Fire Officials Warn Against the Risk

A Gaithersburg grandmother warned her family members to get out of their townhouse Thursday, "but she put her own life at great risk by attempting to fight the fire," authorities said.

A Gaithersburg grandmother is out of the hospital after a fire swept through her townhouse Thursday afternoon. Firefighters say the woman helped save several family members’ lives.

Two of the adults and two young children were inside when the flames broke out in the townhouse along Carousel Court, reports FOX 5 TV. A woman in her 20s was in the basement where firefighters say the fire started, likely from a lamp that fell on a mattress. She was about to take a nap when she heard her grandmother coming down the stairs yelling fire.

There were two toddlers inside, so the young woman ran upstairs to get them out. She also called 911.

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The woman's grandmother stayed in the basement and attempted to fight the flames, which firefighters said was an unnecessary risk. The grandmother, who is in her 60s, was eventually able to make it out of the house on her own.

“The grandmother potentially saved some lives here, but she put her own life at great risk by attempting to fight the fire,” Pete Piringer, spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, told FOX. “We recommend you don’t do that. Have a plan, know what to do ahead of time, get out and stay out.”

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Both women and the two- and three-year-old girls were all taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released.


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