This story, originally published at 9:33 p.m. Sept. 24, 2024, was updated at 8:47 a.m. Sept. 25, 2024, to add additional information.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) crews responded Tuesday night to a two-alarm fire at the former home of JoAnn Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres in Silver Spring, according to authorities.
“I have smoke coming out of the attic. It’s definitely on fire,” one responding firefighter reported about the vacant school building, according to public radio transmissions.
The fire was “venting from [the] roof” and access to the flames was “difficult,” requiring aerial tower operations, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer wrote on social media at about 9:30 p.m. He later reported that 75 firefighters were on the scene.
Firefighters remained on the scene Wednesday morning and Piringer wrote shortly before 8 a.m. that the fire was “being contained.” No one was injured in the blaze, he said.
With smoke still pouring from the building, nearby residents are being advised to stay inside and keep their windows closed, Piringer said.
The vacant school at 710 Beacon Road is being replaced with a new building. The construction project is underway, Montgomery County Public Schools spokesperson Liliana Lopez said Wednesday morning. The current home of JoAnn Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres is at the Fairland Center at 13313 Old Columbia Pike in Silver Spring.
“We don’t know the cause of the fire,” Lopez said, adding that the fire department is investigating.
Piringer told MoCo360 on Wednesday morning that the fire was contained within the school’s walls and firefighters were dealing with “hot spots.” More than 1 million gallons of water had been poured on the fire. Firefighters were awaiting the arrival of some construction equipment to gain better access to help them battle the blaze.
The school was being prepared for demolition and its sprinkler system was turned off, he said. Typically, if a building was occupied, firefighters would cut trenches to get access to the flames, but they weren’t able to do so due to the condition of the building and the need to keep conditions safe for the firefighters, he said.
He said the cause of the fire is unknown. Investigators were at the school Tuesday night and nothing has been ruled out, he said.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
