A 1:46pm update by Montgomery County Police states that “the unaccounted for resident of Rock Creek Woods apartments has been located and is safe and unharmed.”
Per yesterday’s press release:
- At approximately 3:50 a.m., the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center received multiple calls for flooding in terrace level apartments of the Rock Creek Woods apartment complex in the 13200 block of Twinbrook Parkway in Rockville.
- Approximately 150 residents have been displaced by the flood waters and have been transported to a reception center at the Mid-County Recreation Center on Queens Guard Road. The Red Cross and Montgomery County Health and Human Services is assisting the displaced residents.
- A 19-year-old male was found deceased and *one resident is still unaccounted for at this time
- Three people were transported to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries. One firefighter was also transported with minor injuries.
*This afternoon’s update accounts for the missing resident.
A GoFundMe for the deceased 19 year old, Melkin Cedillo, has already raised over $20k in less than a day.
From Montgomery County Police:
Detectives from the Montgomery County Police – Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) are investigating a fatal collision that occurred on Thursday evening in the Aspen Hill area.
At approximately 8 p.m., 4th District officers and Fire Rescue personnel responded to the intersection of Norbeck Road and Layhill Road for the report of a two vehicle collision that just occurred.
Preliminary investigation has revealed that a Blue and Black 2005 Yamaha R6 motorcycle was traveling westbound on Norbeck Rd. The motorcycle struck a Silver 2006 Buick Rendezvous in the intersection. The operator of the Buick was attempting a left turn from eastbound Norbeck Rd to northbound Layhill Rd. The motorcycle operator was ejected from the motorcycle. He was pronounced dead on scene. The operator of the Buick was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The deceased is identified as a 24 year-old male from Silver Spring.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit (CRU) continues to investigate this collision. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact CRU detectives at 240-773-6620.
Fire Investigators along with investigators from a private insurance company recently excavated the area on Granby Court in Derwood where a fire at a single family home destroyed a home last month while the occupants of the home were out of town.
The investigators were able to recover evidence from the scene and determine that the fire resulted from a lightning strike, causing approximately $1 million in damages.
Approximately 85 firefighters were on the scene to help contain and extinguish the fire.
Original article from 7/17/21 can be seen below:
A fire at approximately 2:15am this morning required approximately 85 firefighters.
The fire occurred at a single family home on Granby Court in Derwood in a non-hydrant area. The occupants of the home are out of town, and 911 was called by a neighbor who reported seeing flames coming from the roof of the home.
Firefighters encountered heavy fire conditions upon arrival and several large capacity water tankers were required, in addition to water relay using large diameter hoses, to get water to the home from the water-fill area on Muncaster Road.
There were no injuries reported and the fire was completely extinguished by by approximately 4:30am.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined, but the family (currently out of town) will be displaced and the damage is valued at approximately $1 million. The fire caused the collapse of the roof and upper floor, as well as the partial collapse of several first floor walls.
Photos and information courtesy of MCFRS PIO Pete Piringer.
Clove & Cedar Coffeebar Announces Permanent Closure
In an Instagram post, Clove & Cedar shared that they plan to close their Bethesda location.
They wrote that despite having the most loyal customer fan base, they will be shutting their doors permanently on Sunday August 29.
Clove & Cedar first opened back in June of 2019. They have been best known for their emphasis on local products– they sold locally roasted coffees (most notably Ceremony Coffee), locally made treats, and frequently hosted pop ups for other local businesses in their shop.
The post shared that sales before the pandemic were much higher, and that they hadn’t seen the same business return since. They explained that they ultimately made the decision to close due to the uncertainty of the future– especially with the rise of the Delta variant.
During the pandemic, they donated proceeds (and cups of coffee) towards many local organizations, received a grant from the Red BackPack Fund, and partnered with a local foundation to host a virtual 5k.
The Instagram post announced that there may be a possible Clove & Cedar 2.0, but that a location and timeline has not yet been determined.
Featured photo courtesy of Clove & Cedar’s Instagram.
By: Michelle Katz @pike.and.rozay
Montgomery County firefighters are paying their respects to Green Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Joshua Laird (Frederick County), who died on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, while responding to a two alarm house fire in the 9500 block of Ball Road in Ijamsville, Maryland.
The ceremonial procession transferring Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services fallen firefighter, Station 25, Green Valley Fire Department Battalion Chief Joshua Laird, started at noon today and many will see Montgomery County Fire and Rescue paying their respects on highway overpasses between noon and 1pm.
The first phase of the procession will start at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 401 East Street SW DC and will end at the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, located at 136 East Baltimore Street, in Taneytown, Maryland.
The second phase of the procession will start at the Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home and end at the Monahan Funeral Home, located at 27 East Main Street, Fairfield, PA.
Below are a few pictures, taken by a passenger, of MCFRS on overpasses on I-270.
Statement to Mark the Five-Year Anniversary of Fatal Flower Branch Apartments Explosion
Per Montgomery County:
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Council President Tom Hucker and Councilmember Nancy Navarro released the following statement in recognition of the five-year anniversary of the explosion at the Flower Branch Apartments in Silver Spring:
“Five years ago, we had a tragic incident take place in our community which took the lives of seven residents and injured and displaced dozens more. We will never forget seeing the devastation caused by the explosion and the impact it had on the community.
“Out of this tragedy, we pushed for an improved way to respond to the unique needs of this multicultural and multilingual community by requesting then-County Executive Leggett to deploy multilingual County employees to the temporary shelter that was stood up, including that his Public Information Office engage in real time crisis communications; ensuring simultaneous translation was available during community meetings; and leveraging community partnerships to target resources in order to holistically serve the immediate needs of this community.
“Since then, we have worked closely with the community, elected officials and stakeholders to ensure we put policies in place that protect the well being and lives of tenants.
“Several years after the explosion and a lengthy investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that the failure of an indoor mercury service regulator contributed to the explosion.
“Led by Council President Hucker, the Council unanimously voted to pass Bill 50-20, the Mercury Service Regulator bill, in June, which aims to prevent injuries and deaths like those caused by the fatal explosion at the Flower Branch apartments in 2016 and fix an issue that should have been fixed years ago. The legislation requires landlords to identify and report indoor mercury service regulators.
“We also commend our colleagues in Annapolis, led by Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, for taking steps to enact similar measures at the state level this year. Let’s not forget — not only does today mark five years since the horrible explosion at the Flower Branch apartments, it also marks one year since the deadly gas explosion at a Baltimore row home, which left two dead and several injured.
“That is why HB345, also known as the Flower Branch Act, is so critical. The statewide legislation will require new gas service regulators be installed on the outside of buildings and require existing regulators in multifamily units be relocated outside, among other protections.
“Today serves as a reminder of the importance of tenant protections and robust oversight of multifamily units and apartment complexes. We want to express our condolences to the families that lost loved ones and stand in solidarity with the community as we continue our work to enhance tenant protections and housing safety measures, both here in Montgomery County and statewide.”
Harper Caron, the president of the Texas-based Uncle Julio’s restaurants which have two MoCo locations (Bethesda and Gaithersburg), was found dead in a Dallas hotel room earlier this week.
Caron, who attended the University of Maryland, was the General Manager of Uncle Julio’s Bethesda location years ago, before being named the president of the company in 2019.
Per the Dallas Morning News, “the police incident report said Caron’s death was unexplained and provided no further details. The Dallas County medical examiner’s office has not determined his cause of death and did not say whether he was pronounced dead at the hotel or taken to a hospital.”
Body of Missing Potomac Hiker Located in Maine
The body of Barbara Goldberg, 78, of Potomac, was recovered Saturday on Blueberry Mountain in Stow, Maine.
Goldberg went missing while hiking. WABI in Maine reports that Goldberg spoke to her partner via walkie talkie on Friday morning, telling him she was expected to finish the hike around noon. The Maine Warden Service recovered her body around 3am on Saturday.
Novel Books in Clarksburg Has Closed
Novel Books at 23330 Frederick Rd has permanently closed. A sign on the door from owner Patrick Darby reads, “My Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2018 left me financially vulnerable. The pandemic lockdown killed the business because the bulk of the sales were offsite conventions, which haven’t returned yet”
We met Darby back in 2019 and he told us that he has been selling books since he got out of college back in 1981. He worked for Crown Books for a while before he got tired of the corporate attitude of selling books and wanted to get back to the basics. He opened Novel Books opened back in 2011 and has been in its current location, in the historic district of Clarksburg, since 2014.
He goes on to thank the landlord and loyal costumers. Full letter below:
Sbarro in Lakeforest Mall Has Closed
Sbarro, one of the few remaining restaurants at the “Cafe’s in the Forest” food court at Lakeforest mall has closed.
The store has been removed from the company directory and is listed as “permanently closed” on Google. When we attempted to call the store the phone lines had been disconnected.
This leaves only Charlie’s Cheesesteaks and Kelly’s Cajun Grill open in the food court. Pollo Campero and Nori Japan both remain open at Lakeforest but are not technically inside the food court.
Longtime visitors will remember that Sbarro’s originally had a location on the upper level of the mall in the 1990’s, before the food court existed.
Fundraiser Created to Help Support the Family of Corries Hardy, Food Truck Owner Who Passed Away Sunday
Corries Hardy, owner of Hardy’s BBQ truck, tragically died Sunday evening while working on his food truck on Willow Lane in Bethesda.
A GoFundMe has been created to help support his grieving family. Click here to make a donation. Details below courtesy of the fundraising page:
“On Sunday June 27th, Corries Hardy, a beloved part of both the Bowie and
Bethesda communities passed away while doing what he loved best, Barbecuing
to support his loving wife Roxie and their boys.
Corries Hardy (aka Hardy) was a gentle giant (6’3” 250lbs. when at U of Miami 30 years ago) When greeting Corries, his hand would completely envelop yours, but with the softest grip and with a great big warm smile. His grilling was the spark to the Hardy’s business and Roxie was the firecracker that made the business come
together. They are a great team and a special couple.
In addition to living his dream of supporting the family with his culinary
excellence on the grill, he played football at University of Miami and served our
country for 4 years in the US Army.
Now, the family needs our help to get Roxie and her boys through the next few
months as they determine a path forward for their business, their family and for
the boys to finish their Senior year of high school.
They are a resilient family for sure, but need our help to get to the other side of
this terrible tragedy.”
https://www.gofundme.com/f/corries-hardy-emergency-family-fund
