Nine people were displaced and one person was injured following a fire reported on the seventh floor of the Enclave Apartments complex in White Oak just before 1:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) officials.
Of the nine people displaced, six are adults and three are children, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said on social media Friday morning. According to Piringer, the cause of the fire was accidental and still to be determined but was likely caused by smoking materials or a charging electronic tablet. The blaze caused about $125,000 in damage.
At 1:28 p.m. MCFRS crews were dispatched to 11215 Oakleaf Drive for the report of a building fire, assistant chief spokesperson David Pazos said in a post on social media Thursday. Firefighters were able to locate the fire in an apartment on the seventh floor and transported one man with non-life-threatening injuries to a local hospital.
According to radio transmissions, the fire was extinguished shortly after 1:45 p.m. As crews worked on the blaze, the fire was elevated to two-alarm status as a precaution, MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer said on social media. About 85 firefighters responded.
Two apartment units were affected by the fire, according to Pazos. One of the apartments was deemed unsafe and resulted in the displacement of nine occupants. According to Pazos, the Red Cross is assisting the displaced occupants.
The Enclave Apartments, a 20-story apartment complex, is among several in the county that do not have sprinkler systems. In 2023, safety concerns in residential buildings without sprinklers have come under scrutiny from state and local elected officials after a 25-year-old woman died in a fire at the Arrive Silver Spring apartment complex. The high-rise did not have a sprinkler system.
A bill from Montgomery County Council President Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) signed into law in August 2024 requires residential leases to include information related to renter’s insurance, automatic sprinkler systems and emergency evacuation and safety plans.
The Maryland General Assembly adopted legislation in April 2024, sponsored by Silver Spring-based Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20). That law requires apartment complexes to take stronger fire safety measures, including installing fire alarms and emergency lights in common areas and requiring fire safety education and evacuation information to be provided to tenants.
The Enclave Apartments have also made headlines in recent years as residents have complained of management and safety issues. In recent years, elected officials have tried to get Enclave’s management to respond to chronic health and safety concerns within the complex. In October, the apartment complex received media attention after several refugee families who lived there were threatened with evictions.
Councilmember Kristin Mink (D-Dist. 5) recently introduced legislation, inspired in part by residents’ reports of issues at Enclave, that would hold landlords to the same consumer protection standards as retail merchants.
