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A winter fireplace meant to keep a Maryland family warm ended with flames tearing through their home — injuring a firefighter and forcing four into the cold.

Firefighters were dispatched to a large single-family home in the 11000 block of Brink Road in Germantown on Tuesday, Jan. 27, after residents reported smoke coming from the garage, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue officials.

Crews arrived to find a garage fire that had already extended into the home, with flames spreading through the crawl space and walls.

The fire quickly escalated, prompting a massive response that included 10 engines, five ladder trucks, a heavy rescue unit, six water tankers, and multiple EMS units, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said.

Firefighters battled what was described as a “running fuel fire” in a non-hydrant area as thick smoke poured from the home, and ladders were raised to the upper floors.

During the firefight, one firefighter was injured and transported to a local hospital. Officials said the firefighter is expected to be treated and released.

The fire was eventually brought under control, but the damage was severe.

According to Piringer, the blaze caused more than $400,000 in damage and displaced a family of four — two adults and two children — along with several cats.

Investigators later determined the fire was accidental.

Officials said the cause was improperly discarded fireplace ashes that had been placed in a plastic container inside the garage earlier in the week. The ashes ignited nearby combustible materials, sparking the fire.

No civilian injuries were reported.

Fire officials continue to remind residents to properly dispose of fireplace ashes in metal containers and store them outside, away from structures, as embers can remain hot for days.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. (7News) — 'Twas the night before Christmas, and one Germantown, Md., family has one final wish before Santa comes down the chimney: for their homeowners association (HOA) to rescind their fines for their Christmas lights and decorations.

7News On Your Side has extensively reported on the feud between the Salgado family and the Middlebrook Manor South Homeowners Association.

Pahan Salgado said the family found themselves on the HOA's naughty list when the HOA sent them a letter on December 8 stating their Christmas decorations violated community nuisance rules, and they owed $650 in fines.

The family is being fined $50 per day. The HOA sent the letter 16 days ago, meaning the Salgado family is likely facing around $1,450 in fines as of the time of publication.

"That's a crazy amount of money, especially for our family, to afford something like that. It's crazy," Salgado said. "That's what I'm hoping for this Christmas. They might change their hearts and change their minds."

With fines likely still stacking up, unless the HOA reversed course and has not informed them yet, the Salgado family is now fighting back.

"We just wanted to stop with these fines. We've had the frustration with everything - the constant mail and the HOA being a nuisance to us," Salgado said. "It's Christmas. We don't want to take it to court. We don't want to make it such a big deal."

The Salgado family jingled all the way to David Gardner's law office.

"I was very intrigued by the case because it's an example of overreaching by a homeowners association," Gardner said. "Christmas decorations should not be regulated by a homeowners association."

When we first reported on this story, 7News On Your Side reached out to the lawyer for the HOA and asked the following questions:

We also knocked on the doors of some of the listed HOA board members.

Nobody answered, but minutes after the first round of door-knocking, the lawyer finally responded to our initial email, providing the following statement:

Thank you for your inquiry. The Association’s goal is to support a safe, respectful, and well-maintained community while ensuring the Association’s governing documents are enforced uniformly and in accordance with Maryland law. The Association does not comment on specific homeowners or individual enforcement actions.

Please direct all further communication regarding the Association to this office, rather than to individual Board members.

7News followed up to ask what exactly constitutes a "nuisance," but nobody has answered that question.

"The nuisance or annoyance rule is intended to be what is a nuisance or annoyance to a normal, ordinary, reasonable person. A normal, ordinary, reasonable person in America, in this area, does not get annoyed by beautiful Christmas ornaments," Gardner said. "An association is there to help the community maintain its standards, its aesthetics. It's not there to make their lives miserable."

We obtained the rules for the HOA. Under the section "Prohibited Uses and Nuisances," there are no rules banning Christmas lights or decorations.

One ban includes decorative lawn ornaments.

"It's really a seasonal decoration. It's not an ornament that's left outside on a regular basis," Gardner said.

The HOA rules also prohibit lighting "directed outside the boundaries" of the homeowner's property.

"If you have a spotlight on your garage, and you're aiming it at a neighbor's property, I think you can understand a homeowners association has a role to play there," Gardner said. "The Christmas lights, in this case, don't even spill over into the neighbor's property."

Throughout the process of reporting this story, 7News spoke with multiple neighbors who also have Christmas lights and decorations.

They said they have not received any violation notices or fines.

"A homeowners association cannot selectively enforce its covenants, and that's what they've done here," Gardner said. "There is a doctrine in the law that you have to evenly apply the rules, and they're not doing so."

The Salgado family's devout religious beliefs could also play a role in the ongoing feud.

"Any court of law would be disturbed, if you will, by what the association is attempting to do here, which is infringing on the religious freedoms of my client," Gardner said.

The Salgado family could take their fight either to a courtroom or to the Montgomery County agency overseeing homeowners associations to get the fines invalidated.

However, Gardner said he's hoping to get this resolved before it gets to that point.

"Hopefully, we won't have to go either route. Hopefully, the first thing we get is a hearing before the association and they will reverse their action," Gardner said.

In this season of giving, the Salgado family is hoping the HOA gives them the gift of a change of heart.

"These Christmas lights have been with us since as far as we can remember, since our childhood and family, and faith, revolves around our Christmas lights. We've had these for as long as our childhood, and it just feels like it's part of us. If you let that go, it feels like part of us is gone. Ever since our grandmothers passed away, it has felt empty for us. That's why we added the two angels," Salgado said. "That's why we're asking to HOA to stop this craziness because the only thing we have is the two angels and the manger scene."

GERMANTOWN, Md. () — A Germantown family says they are facing hundreds of dollars in fines from their homeowners association over their Christmas decorations.

During last week’s snowfall, the Salgado family’s home on Knights Court turned into a winter wonderland that many neighbors said they enjoyed.

Jade Johnson, who lives nearby, said she loved seeing their Christmas display.

“I think they’re actually really pretty. I think they’re nice,” Johnson said. “Me and my kids drive by, and we see them at night and stuff. I mean, it’s pretty festive.”

But the Middlebrook Manor South Homeowners Association (HOA) sees it differently.

Homeowner Supuli Salgado said the HOA’s attorney sent the family a fine notice $650, stating their “lawn ornaments and decorative light installations were in violation” of HOA rules and were considered “an annoyance and nuisance to the neighborhood.”

“They’re charging us $50 a day for this display, the lights, the angels,” Salgado said. “I feel like they’re just coming up with stuff to fine us even more.”

Some neighbors say the HOA is overreacting.

“I think they’re just being nitpicky,” Johnson said. “Maybe because they have more decorations than a lot of the other people on the block, but it’s still on their property.”

The Salgado family says the conflict has caused stress and that they feel they are being unfairly targeted. They feel the enforcement amounts to religious discrimination because their nativity scene is central to the display.

“Our religion is very much displayed with the nativity,” Salgado said. “It’s hurtful that people want to… try to take this joy and our religion away.”

The family said their goal was simply to spread Christmas spirit in the neighborhood.

“People just wanted to enjoy the Christmas spirit, and we wanted to bring that to the community as well,” Salgado said.

DC News Now sought comment from the homeowners association, property manager Claudia Urbina and HOA attorney Ruth O. Katz of Lerch, Early & Brewer, but no responses had been received as of Friday.

The family of Pahan Salgado, who lives in Germantown, Maryland, about 31 miles from Washington, DC, has unexpectedly received a letter from a lawyer representing Middlebrook Manor South Homeowners Association, through which they have been fined for the Christmas decorations on their property. The fine totals $650, $50 per day, claiming that their decorations violate nuisance rules.

In statements to WJLA, an ABC affiliate, Salgado explained that they follow the same tradition every year, have never had any problems, and are not the only family with lights and decorations on their property, so they do not understand why they are the only ones being penalized. Some neighbors in the area, like Hinda Al-Awar, have also stated that they enjoy their neighbor’s lights and that they are in no way a nuisance.

Problem with the Christmas lights

In Germantown, Maryland, which is about 31 miles from Washington, DC, something is happening that defies all logic. As every Christmas, families in the area have put up their holiday decorations, adorning their homes and gardens as usual. The same was done by Pahan Salgado’s family, but the consequences for him and his family have been completely different. The family received a $650 fine from the Middlebrook Manor South Homeowners Association, alleging that their Christmas decorations violate the neighborhood nuisance rules.

In his statements to WJLA, an ABC affiliate, Salgado said, “It’s a wonderful time of the year for everyone. It’s a time to reflect on our faith and our values—our Christian values, we believe in Christ. That’s why we decorate our house and put up our lights. With our grandmother, after she passed away, we put two angels in front of our house”. The family, who carries out the same tradition every Christmas, had never had any kind of problem until now. The letter specified that the family would be fined $50 per day, reaching a total of $650, and it continues to increase.

What does the Salgado family have to say about this?

Salgado insists that they are not causing any kind of trouble in the neighborhood and still cannot believe that they are not the only neighbor with decorations, but the only one being reprimanded. “We are not attracting anyone. No one comes to the neighborhood causing disruption,” he said.

“We are not waking anyone up. We are not bothering anyone. The lights are strictly within the limits of our property. They won’t go outside. They don’t touch anyone else’s yard,” he added. “Other houses have decorated their homes for Christmas. Even down there, there’s a house that has a nativity scene and some lights outside. Our neighbors across the street have a house outside, but it’s only us being harassed”.

Neighborhood testimonials

According to WJLA, many neighbors who also have lights and decorations on their houses have not received any type of warning or fine about it. Hinda Al-Awar, a neighbor across the street, stated, “The decorations are beautiful. They don’t bother me at all. They don’t affect my living room, my dining room, nothing. I enjoy them. When my kids grow up, they love them”, she said.

“I don’t understand why the HOA keeps bothering them. They bring us joy. I don’t know what it is. Why are they targeting these wonderful people?”. The Salgado family said they would not take down their Christmas decorations despite the fines due to the great emotional significance they hold for them. On their part, the South Middlebrook Manor Homeowners Association did not respond to The US Sun’s request for comment.

Frequently asked questions

The Middlebrook Manor South homeowners association (HOA) imposed a $650 fine on them ($50 for each day passed), claiming that their Christmas decorations violate the neighborhood’s nuisance rules.

The family believes they are being selectively harassed, as other neighbors have similar decorations and have not been penalized. For their part, the neighbors consulted say that the lights are not bothersome and, on the contrary, bring joy to the community.

GERMANTOWN, Md. (WJLA) - A homeowners association in Maryland has fined a family hundreds of dollars for their Christmas decorations.

The Germantown family said there’s nothing out of bounds with their display and they’re following the rules.

“It brings you into the Christmas spirit by giving to others, being grateful for what you have, loving your neighbors,” Pahan Salgado described.

But the Salgado family is not feeling any love from their neighborhood’s HOA, which has fined them $50 per day for their Christmas lights.

The total has added up to $650 so far and counting.

Sunday marked about a week since they were first notified.

The Middlebrook Manor South HOA said the decorations break nuisance rules.

“Some lights on the bushes and a manger scene does not cause a nuisance to the whole community,” Salgado said.

The specific HOA’s rules do not explicitly ban Christmas lights. Under their prohibited nuisance section, bans include loud noises, lawn ornaments and lights directed outside of the property.

Salgado said they’re not breaking any of those rules.

“Just some lights and a manger, like in our garden area of our house, not even on the lawn,” Salgado said. “The lights are strictly within our boundaries of our land. It’s not going outside. It’s not touching anybody’s yard.”

Other neighbors in the area have lights and decorations on their lawns, and said they have not been fined.

“Never been fined. When we first got here 20, 25 years ago, we used to have lights across the whole front of the house,” one neighborhood resident said.

That’s something real estate lawyer Alfredo Vasquez said could play a role if the dispute makes it to the courts.

“The board of the homeowners association has a duty to implement these bylaws in a fair way across the community,” Vasquez described.

In the meantime, the feud ultimately could boil down to the HOA’s rules versus the Salgado family’s First Amendment rights.

“This is our core values and our religion, and we don’t want to step back from what we believe in,” Salgado added.

The homeowners association said “the goal is to support a safe, respectful, and well-maintained community.”

The association also said they its governing “documents are enforced uniformly and in accordance with Maryland law.”