DISTRICT HEIGHTS, Md. -- More than 40 apartments were damaged in Prince George's County after a gutter was blown loose and touched electrical lines, investigators said.
The contact caused a surge of power into the building in the 5500 block of Marlboro Pike, which led to a series of explosions as the current arced inside the walls.
Firefighters saw smoke on arrival but had to search for its source.
"We had heavy amounts of smoke throughout the building, but we couldn't actually find the fire until we started to pull the wires and ceilings, and therein lied the fire as a result of the electricity energizing the building," said Prince George's County Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesman Mark Brady.
