Apartment Fire Displaces 21 Aspen Hill Residents

ASPEN HILL, MD — A fire ripped through an apartment complex in Aspen Hill Tuesday afternoon, displacing over 20 residents and causing about $400,000 in damages.

Spokesperson Pete Piringer said about 85 firefighters responded to the three-story complex called Somerset Apartments at 2941 Hewitt Ave.

Residents discovered the fire on the top floor, but the smoke alarms in the apartment were disabled by the residents, Piringer said. Someone pulled a manual fire alarm and firefighters arrived to the scene.

There were no injuries reported. The fire appears to be accidental, Piringer said. It affected nine apartments and displaced a total of 21 residents.

Firefighters will go door-to-door at the apartment complex to ensure all smoke alarms are enabled at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Photos via Pete Piringer