Homeowners hear thunderclap before house catches fire in Bethesda

BETHESDA, Md. — Montgomery County Fire and EMS is investigating a house fire after the homeowners said they heard a loud thunderclap before the blaze began.

Firefighters responded to the scene on the 5300 block of Ventnor Road in Bethesda around 7 p.m. Investigators quickly determined the fire started on the roof of the home. 

A spokesperson for the fire department said the couple who lives inside the home heard the sound and then started smelling smoke. Multiple neighbors in the area told WUSA9 that thunderclap was so loud it was heard several blocks away. 

The couple who lives in the home was displaced and the Red Cross was requested to assist them, according to fire officials. 

WUSA9 was able to speak to the homeowners, who were able to make it out of the burning home safely, but they did not want to comment on the incident. 

Fire investigators said it was too early to determine the cause of the fire or to confirm whether the incident was related to severe weather in the region.

Around the time of the fire, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was tracking lighting and thunder in Montgomery County. 

Montgomery County Fire officials say that in the area, which includes Glen Echo, Bethesda, and Potomac, they received multiple calls for transformer fires during the same period. Fire officials say severe weather can trigger transformer fires. 

Fire officials were set to return to the scene on Sunday to continue their investigation to determine the cause of the fire and scope of the damage.