President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden sent their “deepest condolences” to the parents of Melanie Diaz, who died while in the stairwell trying to escape the flames and smoke from the Feb. 18 fire at the Arrive apartments in Silver Spring.
“There are no words to ease the shattering pain of losing a child – a feeling that no parent should have to know,” the Bidens, who lost their son, wrote to Cesar Diaz and Zuleika Madera.
“It will take time, but we promise you the day will come when the memory of Melanie will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye,” the Bidens wrote.
Gianna Gronowski and her partner still are not allowed back into their condemned apartment on the seventh floor, where the fire is believed to have started. She told MCM that her unit is expected to be condemned for nine to 12 months, adding, “Most of the condemned units are on the same schedule.”
Gronowski and her partner currently are living in a property in Downtown Silver Spring that is not affiliated with Trinity, which owns the Arrive on Georgia Avenue. Other residents have relocated either to other Arrive complexes or non-Arrive complexes in the area, she said. Some families moved into hotels with assistance from Montgomery County.
Gronowski has received money from Arrive to cover expenses incurred for hotel stays and prorated rent and utilities, she said. However, the money just came a few days ago, although the fire was about six weeks ago. The county also has provided financial assistance to those who lived in the condemned units.
Residents who have not been able to return to their apartments still have not been able to retrieve their belongings, she said. “We have still been given no timeline as to when we’ll know more regarding the fire investigation (cause) report or the county health and hazard reports, meaning we have no idea when we will be able to retrieve our belongings that remain in the unit,” she wrote to MCM.
According to Patrick Campbell, the county senior emergency manager for mass care and recovery, residents in 103 units needed to find new housing, and 85 residents have new leases. Some residents are staying with family, and five or six families are looking to sign new leases.
Trinity provided hotel stays for 30 days and three months of housing assistance equal to three months’ rent, Campbell said.
The county held several client events to assist residents with food and personal items as well as learning about their options.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden wrote this tender letter to the parents of Melanie Diaz, the young woman who lost her life in the Arrive Silver Spring apartment fire.
They say they want to share the fire’s impact far + wide so it won’t happen to others. pic.twitter.com/CRD9JQvu9k
— Gianna Gronowski (they/she) (@gmgronowski) March 29, 2023
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