More than 100 firefighters from Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Maryland, responded to a major fire Monday at a Latter-day Saint meetinghouse in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Dozens of firefighters were inside the brick building when part of the roof collapsed, said Pete Piringer, spokesman for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Fire and Rescue Service.
“The fire did break through the roof area,” he said. “There was some structural collapse. A couple of firefighters were struck by some falling debris in the interior as they were exiting the building.”
As the roof began to fail, a “Mayday” alert was issued and all firefighters were ordered to evacuate, a representative of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department representative told ABC 7.
The two firefighters struck by debris were evaluated and were uninjured, said Charles Bailey, the nominee to be Montgomery County Fire chief, during a news conference outside the building, according to WTOP.
The two-alarm fire was reported at about 12:25 p.m. EST, Piringer said. Fire trucks and crews responded from both Montgomery County and D.C. Fire and EMS to the meetinghouse at 5460 Western Ave. in Chevy Chase.
The meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is on the border of Washington, D.C., and Montgomery County, Piringer said.
“There is going to be significant damage,” Bailey said.
In videos posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Piringer, D.C. Fire and EMS, and news outlets, fire crews can be seen pouring hundreds of gallons per minute on the roof from multiple ladders extended above the meetinghouse.
The fire reportedly started in the meetinghouse attic, officials said. Piringer said officials did not know how the fire started.