A fire in a three-story Silver Spring apartment building on Thursday morning left residents of possible a dozen units displaced and one firefighter injured, according to the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS).
MCFRS crews responded shortly before 6 a.m. to a report of a fire at the garden-style apartment building at 11439 Lockwood Drive, spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote on social media.
Firefighters extinguished a fire on the first floor, assisted “numerous occupants” out of the building and evaluated several for injuries, but none were reported, he said. One firefighter suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
The Red Cross was assisting the displaced residents, Piringer said.
The fire occurred on the same day that County Executive Marc Elrich is scheduled to sign legislation passed by the County Council that creates new tenant fire safety regulations. The legislation was inspired by a deadly February 2023 fire at the Arrive Silver Spring apartment complex in downtown Silver Spring that claimed the life of 25-year-old Melanie Diaz.
The legislation requires residential leases to include information related to renter’s insurance, automatic sprinkler systems and emergency evacuation and safety plans.
Diaz died following a three-alarm fire at the Arrive Silver Spring apartment complex on Feb. 18, 2023. At least 17 other residents and three firefighters were hospitalized, and nearly 400 residents were displaced after their units were condemned. The complex’s lack of sprinklers, which weren’t required under state law, came under scrutiny by public officials.