Maryland Firefighters Battle Huge House Fire

POTOMAC, Md. --

Firefighters were called to battle a massive house fire in Potomac on Wednesday.

The two-alarm fire broke out at about 7:45 a.m. at a home in the 11500 block of Lake Potomac Drive.

When firefighters arrived, the home was fully engulfed.

A 43-year-old woman and a 5-month-old baby were home at the time, but they were able to safely escape. The woman's two teenagers were already at school. Fire officials said a pet poodle puppy is missing.

It took about 80 firefighters 90 minutes to get the fire knocked out. They said it had been burning for some time before they arrived.

The occupant of the home said she smelled smoke, but she did a quick check around the home and could not find any fire. Fire officials said the woman may have been in a corner of the house where she didn't realize it was burning.

Fire officials said the damage could amount to several millions of dollars.

The cause of the fire is unknown but it appears to be accidental, officials said. They think it started in the back of the house near the garage.

Smoke could be seen as far away as the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

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