Man killed, 3 firefighters hurt in Rockville, Md., blaze

ROCKVILLE, Md.—Fire tore through multiple apartments early Saturday, killing one person and seriously injuring three firefighters who were in the building as it partially collapsed, a fire official said.

Firefighters rescued at least four people from the Halpine View Apartments, but two of them had to save themselves by jumping out a second-floor window after the third floor fell onto the second, Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said.

They and a colleague who escaped out a door were taken to a hospital with burns and other injuries. Piringer described their wounds as serious but not life-threatening.

It was "a close call, certainly for firefighters, but also for those residents," he said.

At least 20 families were forced to flee their apartments, and one or two people were taken to hospitals, where they were expected to be treated and released, Piringer said.

The man who died was believed to be living in the second-floor apartment where the fire started, Piringer's said. The victim's name was not released pending notification of his relatives.