Montgomery Community Media

The tragic loss of seven lives in Silver Spring  continues to teach Montgomery County officials lessons about what to do when a catastrophe strikes. An auditor’s report in February made 14 recommendations based on what was learned from the deadly natural gas explosion last August 10 at the Flower Branch Apartments. MyMCMedia’s Phyllis Armstrong reports […]

It is coming up on one year since the National Transportation Safety Board began its investigation of what ignited a natural gas leak at Flower Branch Apartments last Aug. 10. The federal agency is expected to provide some critical answers to questions about the explosion and fire that killed seven people, injured dozens of others […]

The tragic explosion at Flower Branch Apartments on August 10 last year is still prompting in-depth discussions and planning in Montgomery County. The agencies and employees involved continue to assess the response to the emergency in Silver Spring that killed seven people and left dozens of others injured and without homes. Officials at the Department […]

Nine new housing code specialists are being hired to increase the frequency of inspections at multi-family dwellings in Montgomery County. The County Council approved a new Landlord-Tenants bill in November, a little more than three months after a natural gas explosion and fire killed seven people at the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring. The […]

The Long Branch Community Recreation Center welcomes hundreds of people every week from morning to evening. A diverse mix of cultures and languages are represented by the members who treat the center like a home away from home. But the August 10 explosion and fire in Silver Spring tested Director Morris Buster and his staff’s […]

The Long Branch Community Recreation Center is usually a place where hundreds of Silver Spring residents go to exercise, play board games or socialize with friends. Last month, the center became the emergency shelter for some 159 people left homeless by the August 10 natural gas explosion at Flower Branch Apartments. The center’s director, Morris […]

UPDATED At a news conference held today, CASA announced that the organization will file a lawsuit on behalf of residents impacted by the Flower Branch Apartments explosion. You watch the news conference in the MyMCMedia extra video, below. ORIGINAL POST CASA is expected to make a major announcement at 10 a.m. on Wednesday in front […]

Montgomery County police detectives, with the help of ATF and the Office of the Medical Examiner (OCME), have identified a sixth victim, 34-year-old Aseged Mekonen, who died at the scene of an explosion and fire at a Silver Spring apartment building earlier this month. The remains of seven people were removed from the rubble after […]

The August 10 natural gas explosion in Silver Spring continues to impact some of the families forced out of their homes. However, Kay Apartment Communities has answered questions MCM submitted about the placement of residents who were left homeless. Clark Melillo, President of Kay Apartment Communities, reports that a total of 24 units were destroyed […]

More than two dozen families left homeless by the August 10 explosion and fire in Silver Spring now have other places to live. Montgomery County and State agencies have been working with nonprofit organizations and officials at Kay Apartment Communities to find housing for approximately 55 households. Mary Anderson, spokeswoman for the county’s Department of […]