SILVER SPRING, Md. — The family of the woman who died in a Silver Spring apartment fire says their loved one should have never been placed in such a situation.
Florida resident Cesar Diaz said his daughter, Melanie Diaz, 25, of Silver Spring, died in Saturday’s fire at the Arrive Silver Spring apartment complex, on Georgia Avenue.
Diaz said fire officials told him it appeared Diaz had tried to leave the building through a stairwell with her dogs Samantha and Ella.
Firefighters said the blaze started on the seventh floor. Diaz said authorities told him his daughter and her dogs were found on the ninth floor of the stairwell, two floors below where she lived.
The fire injured another nineteen people in the building, which did not have a working sprinkler system.
Multiple residents told WUSA9 on Saturday they did not hear fire alarms go off either.
“This building in my opinion is not safe,” he said.
Both he and Melanie Diaz’s boyfriend, Michael Sobalvarro, said she accomplished a lot at a young age.
Diaz graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service before going on to work for the Aspen Institute in DC.
Sobalvarro said she loved environment and working to keep it safe.
“She always smiled and laughed,” he said. “She was always the glue to a group.”
Diaz’s father said he noticed as his daughter moved into the building that her apartment lacked a smoke detector and did not even have a fire extinguisher.
Maryland code states all high-rise buildings without a sprinkler system must have one installed by 2033.
WUSA9 reached out to the manager of Arrive Silver Spring, Trinity Property Consultants, for comment in response to allegations fire alarms did not work in the building. The station also wanted to know if the building was being prepared to be retrofitted with a sprinkler system.
It did not receive a response.
“Today was my daughter,” Diaz said. “Tomorrow can be anybody else.”
For now, both Diaz and Sobalvarro say change is needed. They want to see stronger legislation requiring better fire protection systems in all buildings.
Sobalvarro specifically called on local lawmakers like Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Montgomery County State Senator Will Smith to act on the matter.
He added he would also like to see Arrive Silver Spring work in some manner to honor Diaz’s life on its premises. He suggested that maybe they rename the dog park at the building after her.
“She very least they can do for her is commemorate her in some way,” Sobalvarro said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover funeral expenses the Diaz family will soon incur. You can learn more about it by clicking here.