Wedding Party Escapes Fire At North Potomac Home

NORTH POTOMAC, MD — Over a dozen people escaped a fire that ripped through a North Potomac home the night before a couple's wedding this weekend, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials said.

Friends and family were staying at the bride's family's home in the 14900 block of Keeneland Circle and celebrating the wedding the next day.

The blaze broke out at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday. No one was injured, but the fire caused about $300,000 in structural damage and $150,000 in damage to the contents of the home, spokesperson Pete Piringer said.

The occupants of the home woke up to the smell of something burning, Piringer said. The fire first started in or around a large recycling bin outside the garage. The cause is still under investigation, Piringer said.

Some people were reportedly smoking in the driveway, leading investigators to believe disregarded smoking materials may have been the cause.

The couple, who traveled to North Potomac from Georgia, decided to have the wedding anyways.

“It’s not something you’d expect at 3 a.m., the morning of your wedding," the groom, Matthew Denakis, told WJLA.

Luckily, Coral Ben-Atar's wedding dress was stored in a car outside and was safe from the flames.

“We’re not going to let this take over, we are going to enjoy ourselves,” Denakis told WJLA. “It’s brought our families closer together. It’s very uplifting.”

About 65 firefighters responded to extinguish the flames, Piringer said.

(Photos by Pete Piringer)