Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Via AP news wire

Explosion, fire at Maryland apartment complex ruled accident

Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

An explosion and fire that destroyed a Maryland apartment building last week was accidental and caused by a maintenance worker who cut a gas line instead of a waste pipe, an official said Monday.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services Chief Scott Goldstein said his department cannot say what specifically ignited the fire in which 14 people were hospitalized. Goldstein said his department is wrapping up the investigation at the site.

“All kinds of things make the opportunity for a spark or ignition source, which is why we won’t and have been unable to determine what the ignition source was,” Goldstein said during a news conference.

Firefighters responded to the Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring, just outside Washington, D.C., about 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.

According to Goldstein, the maintenance worker was trying to fix a clogged drain in an apartment, using a snake to remove debris and sort out the clog. The worker went to the unit below that apartment and cut what he believed to be a drain waste pipe to remove the clog and put a cap on the pipe.

The maintenance worker went back to the first apartment when a flash fire occurred. The apartment resident was hurt, and both persons were leaving the building and had reached a back stairwell when the explosion occurred, Goldstein said.

Of the 14 people taken to hospitals for treatment, three of them were initially listed in serious condition. Since the explosion, 12 people have been discharged from the hospital and one person remains in critical condition. All residents of the apartment complex have been accounted for, officials said.

Three of the six buildings in the complex just north of Washington, D.C., were deemed unsafe to occupy. At least 150 people have been displaced.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.