At approximately 9pm on Tuesday night, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services (MCFRS) responded to a fire in the unoccupied and soon-to-be demolished school building that was home to Joann Leleck Elementary School at 710 Beacon Rd. in Silver Spring.
As of 12:50pm on Wednesday, crews are still working on hotspots with the fire contained. According to MCFRS Chief spokesperson Pete Piringer, “heavy equipment is en route and beginning to arrive” at the school building, which will be used to allow firefighters better access to existing hotspots.
Piringer stated that approximately 75 firefighters responded to the fire. By midnight, firefighters remained on scene still engaged in active firefighting operations with the bulk of the fire contained. There are no injuries, and firefighters will likely be working with demolition crews as day progresses.
County Executive Marc Elrich provided the following update at 8am: “The fire at the old JoAnn Leleck Elementary School in Silver Spring is now contained. No injuries have been reported, & the building was scheduled for demolition. Thnx to @mcfrs for working tirelessly through the night. Investigation will begin once the fire is fully out.”