A large fire tore through a Hillcrest Heights apartment building Tuesday morning, injuring five people and leaving 32 people without a home less than a week before Christmas.
The fire engulfed the top two floors of the building in the 3300 block of Curtis Drive just after 7 a.m. When firefighters arrived, flames could be seen coming from the roof.
Firefighters rescued two people from the building before evacuation tones sounded, forcing all firefighters out of the building, Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady said on Twitter.
Firefighters also used fire hydrants outside the complex because of water issues at the complex, Brady said. Additional firetrucks were called to the scene to help handle the water supply.
Update, 3300 Blk Curtis Drive, 2-Alarm fire is now under control. 5 residents treated for smoke inhalation and 2 transported to local Hosps pic.twitter.com/5EjQQgCE1q
— PGFD PIO (@PGFDNews) December 19, 2017
Five residents were treated for smoke inhalation and three were transported to a local hospital. An injured firefighter was treated and able to return to duty, Brady said.
Photos from the scene show some units gutted by the fire. Twenty-one adults and 11 children were displaced by the fire, the Red Cross said. The Red Cross will give the adults toys to give their children, as well as money for hotels, food and clothing.
"We have teddy bears that we pass out, but we don't pass them out. We give them to the parents. So now the parent is in the role of taking care of the kid," said Red Cross Regional Disaster Director Paul Carden.
Some local churches are also helping the 12 families displaced by the fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
