A dry Christmas tree caught on fire, demolishing a Bethesda, Maryland, home and injuring four people and a family dog, Montgomery County fire officials said.
More than 60 firefighters responded to 10300 block of Fleming Avenue to fight the blaze inside a single-family home just before 5 p.m. Christmas Day, according to Pete Piringer, a fire department spokesman.
Fire officials believe an electrical failure in a strand of lights from the 1980s likely caused the tree to ignite, Piringer said.
The residents noticed the fire before smoke detectors alerted, but before they could locate an extinguisher, “the room erupted in flames, catching a nearby couch and other combustibles on fire,” Piringer said.
Four people from the home were hospitalized from injuries sustained in the fire, including one person who was in critical condition early Friday, Piringer said. Firefighters also found the family’s Great Dane unconscious and later resuscitated the dog, Piringer said.
Officials estimate the fire caused more than $400,000 in damage.
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