Vigil To Mark 1-Year Anniversary Of Flower Branch Apartments Explosion


SILVER SPRING, MD — Thursday is the one-year anniversary of the devastating explosion at the Flower Branch Apartments that killed seven residents, two of whom were children, and displaced about 100 people. A vigil will be held to remember the victims Thursday evening.

The Aug. 10, 2016 blast was caused by a natural gas leak. A total of 28 apartment units were destroyed, and 50 families were displaced by the disaster.

Dozens of residents were injured at the scene, some from burns and others from broken bones as they jumped from the third and fourth floors of the buildings.

The vigil will be held by the nonprofit CASA from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot across the street of 8658 Piney Branch Rd. The vigil will honor those lost and the families of the victims will be invited to speak.

The victims killed in the blast were:

  • Deibi “David” Samir Lainez Morales, 8
  • Fernando Josue Hernandez Orellana, 3
  • Augusto Jimenez Sr., 62
  • Maria Auxiliadorai Castellon-Martinez, 53
  • Saul Paniagua, 65
  • Aseged Mekonen, 34,
  • Saeda Ibrahim, 40.
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On the night of the explosion, an off-duty Montgomery County Police officer working near the Flower Branch Apartments called 911 at 11:55 p.m. Aug. 9, 2016 to report the explosion and fire. Nearby, crews at the Four Corners Fire Station 16 felt the “boom” of the apartment building being leveled and knew they were needed.

Carlos Ingles told NBC Washington that he and others ran to help. "Children, they were thrown from the top. I don't have words," Ingles said.

A set of parents tossed their baby to Ingles, who safely caught the child; he saw two other children jump down into rescuers' arms. See Related:Silver Spring Apartment Explosion: Victims Still Struggle to RecoverMaryland Apartment Explosion: 2 Dead, 32 Injured, Others Missing [UPDATED]Maryland Apartment Blast: 'I Think I Lost a Friend'Maryland Apartment Explosion: 2 Dead, 32 Injured, Others Missing [UPDATED]Maryland Apartment Explosion: 3rd Body Found, 5 Missing Identified, How to HelpMaryland Apartment Explosion: 7th Body Found; Cause Could Be Known By End of Week An internal review of Montgomery County's response and recoveryshows issues language barriers encountered at the time of the explosion were a big concern, since mostly Spanish-speaking residents lived in the Silver Spring complex.
The audit found that there weren't enough bilingual staffers at the scene of the disaster and at the Long Branch Community Center, which was converted into a shelter for displaced residents. This left the survivors confused, unattended and scared. "I think if you talk to the victims, many of them were very grateful for the services provided, but many of them were left out, too, and many of them are still struggling to get services from the county," Montgomery County Council member Tom Hucker, who represents the 5th District where the Flower Branch Apartments were located, said. »Main photos of Flower Branch Apartments from Fort Detrick Forest Glen Fire & Emergency Services,Takoma Park Fire Department, Montgomery County Fire Department
Get free real-time news alerts from the Silver Spring Patch.Thanks for your feedback! Now share it with your friends!Thanks for your feedback. Originally published August 10, 2017. More from Silver Spring Patch

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