Fire officials: Smoking with oxygen tank causes 2-alarm fire at Silver Spring apartment building

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Fire officials said one person was taken to the hospital after a two-alarm apartment building fire in Silver Spring Tuesday night.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said the fire took place at a four-story apartment building in the 100 block of Schuyler Road just before 9 p.m. According to Piringer, firefighters helped evacuate people out of the building and the fire is under control.

"The crews arrived to find fire visible on the first floor and extending on what appeared to be upwards through and including the roof," said Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Chief Scott Goldstein. "It appears that was limited extension on the exterior, with not much extension on the interior. Crews went to an aggressive work, knocked the fire down on the first floor, checked on the upper levels and found a little bit of an extension on the roof and we are still doing a mop-up as well as final investigative work."

Officials said the fire is believed to be caused by a man with an oxygen tank smoking inside a bedroom at a first-floor apartment. There was $100,000 worth of damage caused from the fire.

The man suffered moderate burns from the fire and was transported to the hospital.

Some residents were allowed back into their apartments, but several families have also been displaced. The American Red Cross was at the scene to assist the displaced residents.