A 4-year-old child died in a two-alarm fire in Montgomery County, Md., Wednesday afternoon, police said.
More than 80 firefighters were dispatched to a garden apartment in the 18200 block of Lost Knife Circle in Montgomery Village about 4 p.m. They reported heavy smoke and fire conditions extending from the second floor to the top of the three-story building.
Several people were trapped and had to be rescued. Four-year-old Lancelot Quarshie perished in the fire.
Quarshie's aunt spoke with News4, and said her brother was badly burned trying to rescue his son.
"My brother tried to go inside [to save his son]," Elizabeth Martey said.
The bulk of the fire was knocked down in 20 minutes, and Ride On buses provided shelter.
A man rescued from a balcony was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Another man was taken to a specialty center with unconfirmed injuries. Two other children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
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The fire damaged 12 units at the building, displacing about 40 residents. The cause of the fire has been ruled accidental. The fire started in the kitchen but the cause is unknown.
The fire caused $750,000 in damages to the structure and $300,000 to the contents.
