SILVER SPRING, Md. — A year after the fire at the Arrive Silver Spring apartments left 25-year-old Melanie Diaz dead, her family continues fighting for legislation to make high-rise apartments safer in Maryland.
"It doesn't matter if I have to spend everything I have in my bank account. If I have to sell my house, my car, and everything. At the end of the day, it's going to be worth it because the law is going to save a lot of lives," Cesar Diaz, Melanie's father told reporters.
Melanie Diaz died on Feb. 18, 2023 from smoke inhalation as she tried rescuing her two dogs, according to fire officials.
"As soon as those flames started occurring, she harnessed her two dogs, and she was not afraid to run through the door and tackle the fumes. Although she only made it two flights of stairs. You know, a soldier, is still a soldier even if they fall in battle, and my girl is a fighter," Melanie's boyfriend of six years, Michael Sobalvarro, told reporters during the vigil.
An investigation into the fire at the Arrive high-rise apartments in Silver Spring ruled that the absence of working smoke alarms and lack of a sprinkler system were factors in the extent of the deadly blaze.
The report released by Montgomery County Fire and Explosives Investigation Unit (FEI) on Wednesday does not rule out an electrical malfunction or smoking cigarettes inside the unit as possible causes for the blaze. Due to the multiple factors, the cause of the fire was classified as "undetermined."
The Diaz family travelled from Florida to Maryland to not only hold the vigil, but also testify during a hearing that will be held in Annapolis to discuss the legislation in her honor.
Maryland State Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, who represents Montgomery County, was there the night of the fire. She has introduced the Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act for a second time. She says the long term goal is to find a way to speed up the installation of sprinklers in older buildings with state funding and tax credits.
"One thing that the bill does is that it strengthens the smoke detection system, brings a lot of the high rises up to code. The second thing that it does it that it requires notice, as it has been discussed, many of the people who lived in this building that when a fire was occurring that there were no sprinkler systems," Charkoudian said.
Other elected officials joined the Diaz family during the vigil including Montgomery County Councilmember Kate Stewart who announced she will also be introducing legislation next month in Melanie's honor. Stewart says her local bill will focus on informing tenants when they are renting a unit without a sprinkler system.
Montgomery County records show there are still about 75 apartment buildings across the county that have yet to be retrofitted, which code requires by 2033.
"I know lot's of people, a lot of the home builders associations have concerns about retrofitting, but cutting corners is what exactly led to the loss of my girlfriend's life," Sobalvarro added.
The Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act is set to be discussed during a hearing on Tuesday.