A two-alarm fire at an apartment complex in Montgomery County caused an estimated $2 million in damages and forced 12 residents to evacuate on the night of Wednesday, August 26, 2026, according to a report published August 27.
The fire occurred around 11:45 pm at the Miramont apartments located in the 6000 block of California Circle in Rockville.
The Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service responded to the scene, where they found a large fire on the second floor of a four-story building. The blaze began in an unoccupied second-floor apartment and spread to the third floor. The building did not have a fire sprinkler system, officials stated.
A maintenance worker was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation after helping to alert residents of the fire. No other injuries were reported. More than 70 fire service personnel participated in the emergency response efforts.
A preliminary investigation determined the fire was caused by incense ashes that were disposed of incorrectly in a flower pot. Pete Piringer, a spokesperson for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, noted that flower pots are not ashtrays and that many people do not consider potted plants to be fire risks.
