Proposed laws would require stronger fire safety protections in high-rise apartment buildings

Montgomery County legislators on the local and state level are pushing for greater protections for tenants nearly a year after a deadly fire at a downtown Silver Spring high-rise apartment complex claimed the life of a 25-year-old woman. On Jan. 24, state Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Dist. 20) introduced The Melanie Nicholle Diaz Fire Safety Act in the Maryland General Assembly. A complementary Senate bill is being sponsored by Sen. Will Smith (D-Dist. 20).