Maryland apartment fire leaves 17 hospitalized, some in critical condition

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- At least 17 people were hospitalized and hundreds more evacuated after a fire spread through a high-rise apartment building in Silver Spring, Md., authorities said Saturday.

A three-alarm blaze at the building in suburban Washington, D.C., broke out early Saturday morning, Montgomery County, Md., Fire Chief Scott Goldstein told reporters .

Among the 17 hospitalized, some were listed in critical condition, he said, adding that three firefighters suffered minor injuries.

More than 1,200 residents were evacuated from the structure, officials said.

The fire started at approximately 6 a.m. on the seventh floor of the 14-story apartment building and burned for about three hours before being extinguished.

Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said firefighters had to deal with smoke all the way up to the 12th floor of the building.

"Thick, heavy black smoke, a lot of heat, so the firefighters were faced, and the residents were faced with that chaos right in the beginning," Piringer said.