Large fire breaks out at vacant elementary school in Silver Spring

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) — It’s been over eight hours since a fire broke out at a vacant elementary school in Montgomery County. On Wednesday morning, the fire continued burning leaving thick black smoke over the area.

Firefighters with Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) said crews were called to Joann Leleck Elementary School, in the 700 block of Beakon Road, shortly after 9 p.m. on Sept. 24.

When firefighters arrived at the scene, they discovered heavy flames showing from the school’s roof.

Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the fire department, noted the fire was in advanced stages when crews arrived and was difficult to access.

As of 10:30 p.m., Piringer said dozens of firefighters were called to help battle the fire. However, after about two hours, the fire was almost contained.

“The fire is contained pretty much from the middle all the way to school classroom all the over to what used to be the gymnasium. Pretty significant damage but again, the school was scheduled to be demolished,” Piringer told DC News Now.

He said the school was under construction and students were already relocated to a different building.

Piringer said more than 85 firefighters were on the scene Tuesday night, including crews from Prince George’s County.

“No issues to the surrounding communities, other than the smoke in the air. The water pressure might be a little affected in some areas but everyone has access to their apartments and houses which are located in this area,” said Piringer, Tuesday night.

Early Wednesday morning, firefighters were still battling the fire at the elementary school. Flames and smoke could be seen bursting from several parts of the building.

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is unknown.

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