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Firefighters in Montgomery County, MD found two lifeless bodies in a burning home in the 11,300 block of Gainsborough Rd. The house is across the street from Churchill High School, in a neighborhood off of Tuckerman Lane between Rockville and Potomac. The first 911 call came at 5:45 this morning from a tenant living in the basement. That man reported smoke in the house with two others still trapped inside.

According to spokesman Pete Piringer, the first arriving firefighters reported fire showing as they approached the scene. The bulk of the fire was in a one-story section that appears to have been a carport converted into a recreation room. Firefighters soon found an unresponsive woman in her 70s in a second floor hallway. Another crew then found the woman's son, who appeared to be in his 40s, on the first floor, by the kitchen.

Medics worked both victims. The woman, Marilyn Ehrlich, was pronounced dead at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Her son, Ethan Ehrlich, is in critical but stable condition. He was originally taken to MedStar and has since been transferred to George Washington University Medical Center.

Three firefighters were hurt. One with an injured knee, another with a small burn to the hand and the third with smoke inhalation. All are expected to be treated and released.

Piringer reports there is no indication, so far, of smoke alarms in the home. The tenant was awakened by the smoke and not a detector.

It has been a busy morning for firefighters in Montgomery County. There was another house fire around 8:00 AM about ten-miles away in the 16,400 block of Riffle Ford Road, west of Gaithersburg.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 8:47 AM