All residents accounted for after Md. apartment explosion

A Maryland fire chief says all known residents of an apartment building are accounted for after an explosion and fire

Maryland Building Explosion (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

All known residents of an apartment building have been accounted for a day after an explosion and fire destroyed the building, a Maryland fire chief announced Friday.

Officials are still working to confirm that there were no visitors or people other than the residents of the 14 units at the Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring at the time of Thursday’s explosion, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said at a briefing.

Officials now know that 14 people went to hospitals, he said, including three people in serious condition. The others have injuries that range from minor to moderate.

A maintenance worker who was in the building at the time of the explosion was injured and has been talking with investigators, Goldstein said. Investigators are looking at whether the work led to the explosion, among other theories, he said.

About 230 residents were displaced overnight from the six buildings in the complex just north of Washington, D.C. , and three of those buildings were deemed unsafe to occupy, he said. Work will continue Friday to replace the transformer and restore electricity to the remaining buildings so those residents can return.

A nearby resident’s outdoor security camera recorded the explosion obliterating an end unit of one building. Other video from the scene showed flames shooting from the roof and debris scattered on the ground.