SILVER SPRING, Md. — Four days after a deadly fire in a Silver Spring high-rise apartment building, people stuck with no place to go say fire alarms did not work, claim building management has been little help since the fire, and now some are considering lawsuits.
The early Saturday fire happened at the Arrive Silver Spring apartment building on Georgia Avenue.
"This whole week has been limbo for us and many other residents as well," said Gianna Gronowski who lived in the building with their partner Em Espey.
The couple are among the more than 400 residents displaced from the complex in Silver Spring by the fire that injured 19 people and killed 25-year-old Melanie Diaz.
"Seeing it was a whole other world," Gronowski said.
The pair said they were allowed 10 minutes to grab what they could from their apartment, which was on the seventh floor where the fire started and where Diaz was killed. And while they are grateful to have survived, they say the days since the fire have been traumatic.
"Very poor communication from the management," Gronowski said.
Espey said there is no timeline for when they will be allowed back in to retrieve more of their belongings. They also dispute building management's claims that fire alarms functioned as intended during the fire.
"We were only three doors down from the apartment that burned and our smoke detectors did not go off," Espey said.
Some residents told WUSA9 they are consulting with attorneys and considering legal action.
In the meantime, they've taken it upon themselves to keep each other updated.
"We've kind've taken this burden on to find resources and be able to share that information each other," Gronowski said. "We're all just kind of sticking together as effected people, but that shouldn't be on us."
According to state and corporate records, the high-rise complex is owned by a Delaware LLC operating from a California address; they have yet to respond to questions from WUSA9 about safety and what residents can expect next.
One bit of good news neighbors are sharing with each other, is that Montgomery County has asked a housing nonprofit to set up a relief fund that will ensure 100% of the donations go to the people who need it.