Three-alarm fire damages downtown Frederick building

Aug. 25—A three-alarm fire on Wednesday night damaged a three-story building at West Second and North Market streets in downtown Frederick.

Some animals died in the fire and others were rescued, said Sarah Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services.

The fire was at 2 W. Second St. Tiara Day, a women's boutique, is on the ground floor at that corner, next to The Record Exchange on North Market Street.

Campbell said there was no report of anyone being injured.

She wrote later in a press release that there were four apartments on the second and third floors, and all of the residents got out safely.

The American Red Cross was helping eight adult residents who were displaced, the press release said.

A cat, two rats and a pet snake died in the fire, Campbell wrote in the press release. Several birds were saved.

The fire was reported to the Frederick County Emergency Communications Center at about 9:38 p.m.

Crews with more than 120 people from Frederick, Washington and Montgomery counties responded to help fight the fire, along with units from Hagerstown and Fort Detrick, Campbell said.

She said the first responders got to the scene within a few minutes and saw flames in the rear of the building as they searched the three floors. They called for the rapid intervention team, to bring more help to the scene.

Campbell said that as the fire spread, a second alarm went out. Then, there was a third alarm.

At about 1 a.m., dozens of firefighters were still at the scene.

A crew in a ladder truck was attacking fire that was coming out of the roof.

Campbell wrote in the press release that it took more than four hours to control the fire and crews stayed for two more hours to put out hot spots.

The Frederick County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire and an estimate of damage.