Fire officials said one woman was hospitalized after a fire tore through her house in Silver Spring, Maryland, Saturday evening.
Firefighters arrived at a house engulfed in flames in the 2500 block of Holman Avenue in Silver Spring at about 6:15 p.m., Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.
When they arrived, firefighters encountered a burning blaze, one woman trapped in the home, and extreme hoarding conditions that complicated the firefight and rescue, fire officials said.
Photos from the fire show a burned-out home with stacks of books and furniture partially blocking access through the front door. Boxes and bags filled with paper and other items littered the floor, limiting firefighters' mobility.
One older woman had to be rescued from the burning home and was taken to the hospital with serious smoke inhalation injuries but is in stable condition, officials said.
A second person, the older woman's adult daughter, was found sheltering in a neighbor's home.
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Capt. Tommy Foster, one of the firefighters who rescued the woman, described the struggle to find her.
"She was talking to us as we were moving her through the house because we couldn't see anything, but we knew that she was still viable," Foster said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but Piringer said the fire may have started in the kitchen. Damages to the house are estimated at $200,000, he said.
No smoke alarms were visible and over 65 firefighters responded to the blaze, Piringer said.
Stay with News4 and NBCWashington.com for updates to this developing story.
