Maryland officials say a lawn tractor’s hot engine started a fire that destroyed a house in Mount Airy.
Deputy Fire Marshal Ed Ruck says no people were injured in the fire Wednesday afternoon on Catoctin View Court, but a cat died. Damage to the house and the contents is estimated at $400,000.
Ruck told The Frederick News-Post that the residents had parked the tractor in the garage under the house after doing some yard work.
He says combustible materials near the tractor ignited and started the fire.
Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Was this article valuable?
Here are more articles you may enjoy.
AI Models May Soon Self-Replicate Across Smart-Home Devices, Anthropic Warns 
Surplus Lines Leaders Remain Bullish on Outlook in a Shifting Market 
Kroger Plans to Slash 37% of Corporate Jobs in Next Three Years 
Viewpoint: The ‘Unbundled’ Insurer Emerges in Age of AI as Value Chain Fragments 
