House Fire in Aspen Hill Injures Residents, Firefighters

Husband and Wife Longtime Residents

A house fire in Aspen Hill on Thursday morning claimed one life and injured three others.

The 4 a.m. fire happened on the 4700 block of Iris Street, at the home of two longtime area residents, a husband and wife, both in their 60's. The husband made it out of the house on his own, but the wife had to be pulled from the flaming house by firefighters. She was unconscious at the time of the rescue.

Sandra Vidas, 67, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The fire started in the basement, according to firefighters. When they arrived, they found the man outside in the lawn with minor injuries. Firefighters entered the flaming home to conduct search and rescue, and located the female victim inside, unresponsive.

Two firemen also sustained minor injuries. 

The cause is still under investigation, but damage is estimated at $600,000. There were no working smoke alarms in the home.

This is the second residential fire fatality in Montgomery County this year.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service said that firefighters will be out this evening canvassing the neighborhood to check smoke alarms and distribute fire safety information to residents. They'll also be out across the county this Saturday as part of the fire department's annual Change Your Clock/Check Your Battery fire safety campaign.

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