SILVER SPRING, Md. — Family, friends and the community are coming together to remember a 25-year-old woman who died in a high-rise apartment fire Saturday in Silver Spring. Melanie Diaz was killed in the three-alarm blaze, while 19 others were hurt, and hundreds more were displaced.
Organizers say the vigil will happen at 5 p.m. outside the Arrive Silver Spring on Georgia Avenue building to celebrate Diaz's life.
"We hope to provide a safe space for our community to come together and grieve and come out of this tragedy stronger," Diaz's fiancé Michael Sobalvarro said in a statement.
Diaz's father Cesar Diaz previously told WUSA9 that his daughter should never have been placed in such a situation. Cesar Diaz said fire officials told him it appeared his daughter had tried to leave the building through a stairwell with her dogs Samantha and Ella.
Questions still remain about the cause of the fire, and how it turned deadly.
A spokesperson from Arrive Silver Spring issued a statement Wednesday night saying all all fire systems within the building were in working order and were up to date on all code and fire safety requirements.
The statement from Arrive Silver Spring can be read in full below:
Our residents are our biggest priority and we are committed to supporting and providing ongoing open communication throughout this critical time. The Arrive Silver Spring team sends our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Melanie Diaz and those who were affected by the recent fire. We are deeply saddened at the loss of life and injuries that occurred. We thank the first responders who were instrumental in helping residents evacuate to safety and supporting those in need of medical attention.
We are actively cooperating with fire officials as they continue their ongoing investigation into the cause. While we cannot comment on the specifics of the fire’s origin, we are committed to open communication with our residents and the Silver Spring community. Below are the facts that we are able to share, as we know them. We will continue to share updated, verified information with our residents as it becomes available. Following the fire, Arrive Silver Spring staff has conducted non-stop, in-person individual and town hall meetings, phone and email conversations with residents and extended office hours in order to accommodate all residents.
The cause of the fire is not yet known; investigators are currently working to determine the cause of the fire.
We can confirm that all fire systems within the building were in working order and were up to date on all code and fire safety requirements. The most recent inspection was completed in July 2022 with no code violations noted. The building fire panel was inspected both before and after the fire to confirm the panel was in operable condition. All pull stations that were pulled during the event functioned as intended. All fire detectors were up to date on their inspections and certifications. All smoke detectors were in working order.
Since the incident, our team has been working round the clock to support all of our residents, including those who have been displaced as a result of smoke and water damage. We have arranged for temporary accommodations for displaced residents and are working directly with each resident in order to find long-term solutions to their housing needs. Our team is working with residents in units that have been condemned or deemed uninhabitable due to significant damage as a result of the fire to modify or terminate their leases with no penalty. As of February 22, 90% of units at the property are habitable.
Residents from affected units have been granted supervised access to the damaged portions of the building to collect personal property. Arrive Silver Spring is also providing round-the-clock security on each of the affected floors to protect resident property in the damaged units.
We thank the community for rallying around our residents and supporting them during this difficult time. In particular, we would like to thank MHP and Montgomery County for creating a dedicated relief fund to support affected residents. We are very grateful to be part of a community that comes together and supports those in need. Arrive Silver Spring is deeply committed to providing safe, quality housing for our residents. We will continue to communicate directly with residents through email, our resident portal and in person at our office on site.
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