Prince George's firefighters battled a two-alarm apartment building fire on Edmonston Terrace in Greenbelt, Md. Wednesday evening.
Firefighters had to rescue some trapped residents from balconies on the rear of the building after the flames broke out in the Franklin Park apartment complex at about 4:30 p.m.
Firefighters reported heavy fire on two floors, spreading through the building to the roof, when they arrived.
One of those trapped was on an upper floor and had to be rescued with a ladder. However, no injuries were reported.
At one point, a firefighter was separated from his crew in the fire and sounded a "mayday" on his radio. He was rescued almost immediately, said Prince George's Fire spokesman Mark Brady.
"With the amount of fire [firefighters] encountered on arrival, firefighters had to risk a lot" to put the fire out, Brady told News4's Chris Gordon.
The fire took about 30 minutes to extinguish. It was believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning furnace. Preliminary fire loss is estimated at $250,000, and 21 households have been displaced.