Two dozen people displaced by three-alarm fire

Monday, Dec. 4, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Brian Lewis⁄The Gazette Firefighters monitor a townhouse building in the 200 block of Congressional Lane in Rockville that caught fire Monday morning when a car hit a gas meter.

Lt. Bob Rappoport, a spokesman for the city police, said an adult female driver crashed her black SUV into a townhouse, located at 247 Congressional Lane.

The driver suffered ‘‘a medical emergency and she hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes and crashed into a gas meter” at the townhouse, he said.

Approximately three minutes after the accident, the gas line exploded and caused a large fire, Rappoport said.

Pete Piringer, spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, said it is possible the woman had a seizure.

‘‘We believe that she probably had a medical condition — maybe a seizure — she was, we believe, turning into the entrance of Congressional Towers,” he said. ‘‘She left the roadway, hit a small sign, jumped the curb, drove across the grassy lawn and struck the building right where the gas meter was located.

‘‘Probably two or three minutes after that, there was a fire that was aided by the wind and spread very quickly upon our arrival — very heavy fire conditions. The crews were able to get control of that somewhat and knock out the bulk of the flames in 20-30 minutes,” he added.

Piringer said there was delay between the crash and the explosion, which allowed people to escape.

‘‘Again, there was a couple-minute period there when [the residents] were alerted to it; fortunately, they did get out when that occurred and the explosion occurred a few moments later,” he said.

At around 11:15 a.m., Piringer said, the driver was being checked out by emergency personnel on scene and was getting ready to be transported to a hospital for a check up.

Piringer added that the occupants of the townhouse had come out to investigate after they heard the crash, and that a man rendered aid to the driver. He pulled her from the vehicle and dialed 911.

Piringer said the man’s wife was injured by falling debris and was transported to the hospital for a leg injury, possibly a broken leg. Her 2-year-old toddler did not sustain injuries, he said, but was being transported with her for a check up.

Piringer noted that the American Red Cross was on the scene and had set up a temporary shelter for occupants in the apartment buildings located directly behind the townhouses. Everyone has been accounted for, he said, but as many as 20-30 people have been displaced from their homes as a result.

The units that sustained the bulk of the damage were 241, 243, 247 and 249 Congressional Lane, Rappoport said.

Rappoport said city police are investigating the accident, while county Fire and Rescue Services is handling the fire damage.

Piringer said more than 125 firefighters as well as additional units of emergency personnel and police responded. Hazardous materials units also arrived because of the gas leak.

As of 11:15 a.m., roads remained closed around the areas of Congressional Lane, East Jefferson Street, Rollins Avenue and Halpine Road.