Don’t use blowtorches
to melt ice on houses
A propane torch being used to melt snow on a Rockville roof caused a fire that led to $1.5 million in damage, authorities said. Artwork and antiques were destroyed as firefighters first had to dig out two fire hydrants buried in snow to put out the blaze on the 6100 block of Neilwood Drive, a Montgomery County fire department spokesman said. One of several workers hired to de-ice the roof was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, officials said.
Bed-ridden man dies in fire
D.C. fire officials said a bed-ridden man was found dead in a morning fire in Southeast Washington. The fire broke out at a home on the 5200 block of East Capitol Street SE around 5:15 a.m. The man was trapped in the basement where the fire burned heavily. It took firefighters about 10 minutes to knock out the flames, but fire officials said the man was found dead. Three people managed to escaped the blaze when they heard the smoke alarm.
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Masked man sexually assaults woman
Montgomery police are investigating a sex assault and robbery in Germantown. It happened around 7:30 p.m. Monday in the area of the Hampton at Town Center apartments. A woman was standing in the front door of her apartment when a heavyset man in all-black clothing and a black ski mask appeared. The man sexually assaulted the woman before stealing items from the home and fleeing.
Levy’s accused killer wants
trial moved from D.C. area
Attorneys for the man charged in the slaying of Chandra Levy want his trial moved away from D.C. WTOP-FM reported that attorneys for Ingmar Guandique described the case as “the most famous unsolved murder in Washington” and argued that jurors have been exposed to prejudicial information that might not be admitted as evidence.
– Compiled by Scott McCabe and Freeman Klopott
