If you were burned or a loved one died in an apartment fire, you need the help of an experienced burn injury lawyer. The Pritzker Hageman Burn Injury Legal Team helps fire victims and their loved ones pursue compensation and justice in cases throughout the United States.
A high-rise apartment fire in Silver Spring, Maryland, killed one person, sent dozens to the hospital, and left hundreds without a home. The three-alarm fire broke out at Arrive Silver Spring apartments early Saturday morning. When fire crews arrived at 8750 Georgia Avenue, they found heavy flames in the back of the building that originated on the seventh floor. Crews evacuated several residents who were trapped inside their apartments. Seventeen people, including three firefighters, were hospitalized with injuries ranging from critical to non-life-threatening. Sadly, officials reported that one adult woman died from her injuries Saturday afternoon.
An investigation is underway. Fire officials speculate that the fire may have been related to an aerosol can in a unit on the seventh floor.
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Building Sprinkler Systems Save Lives
Investigators say that Arrive Silver Spring apartments had no sprinklers and a manual pull fire alarm system. Residents expressed their frustration that building codes allow for older structures to have manual pull fire alarms. One resident was credited with saving lives by pulling the alarm. He told Fox 5 DC that “My number 1 priority was to get that fire alarm to go off.”
In 2019, the Maryland state fire code was modified to require automatic sprinkler systems in all residential high-rise buildings by 2033. Arrive Silver Spring is one of 80 buildings in Montgomery County that has not been retrofitted.
Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci says the deadly fire could have been prevented if the apartment units were equipped with a sprinkler system. He told WUSA9, “We would not have had any of the deaths, we would not have had any of the injuries and had all of these folks displaced from their units.”
Montgomery County’s History of Apartment Fires and Explosion
Montgomery County has a long history of apartment fires and explosions at older buildings with outdated systems. The fire at Arrive Silver Spring is the fourth building to have a catastrophic fire since 2016.
In November 2022, twelve people were injured and one person died when a condo exploded in Gaithersburg. In March 2022, a gas explosion at Friendly Garden Apartments injured 14 people in Silver Spring. The explosion at Friendly Garden happened when a worker cut a gas line while doing plumbing work. And in August 2016, seven people died when a faulty piece of equipment caused an explosion at Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring. All of these buildings, including Arrive Silver Spring, were built more than 50 years ago.
Talk to an Experienced Burn Injury Lawyer
Pritzker Hageman is one of the few law firms in the country with experience representing families in apartment fire lawsuits. Our legal team has won hundreds of millions of dollars for our burn injury clients and their families. When a death is involved, filing a wrongful death lawsuit will help your family get compensation and justice for your loved one’s death.
The Pritzker Hageman fire attorneys have over 40 years of experience representing burn victims and their families. In a recent case, we filed an apartment fire lawsuit for families who lost their loved ones to a fire in an apartment building that was not protected by fire sprinklers.
For a free consultation on what to expect from the legal process, contact our team of explosion lawyers by calling 1-888-377-8900, texting 612-261-0856, or filling out the form below.