gaithersblog.net

Update: According to the Gazette, the fire has been ruled arson.

Patricia M. Murret writes in the Gazette, Three-alarm fire at vacant Gaithersburg buildings slated for demolition:

About 100 firefighters were called to a three-alarm blaze Wednesday afternoon that within minutes consumed three stories of a vacant apartment building in Olde Towne Gaithersburg, according to county fire and rescue officials.

The Diamond Court buildings, along with the adjacent Deer Park and Ty-Gwinn apartments were vacated this winter to make way for the Archstone-Smith redevelopment project, said Olde Towne lawyer Jim Clifford, who is involved with the redevelopment project. The property is still in the process of being sold and the final settlement is scheduled for May 29.

There were no injuries. Following are a few pictures from the scene, taken and provided by Gaithersblog reader Clark W. Day:

• Patricia M. Murret writes, Neighbors on edge after homicide:
  

  About 65 residents of Gaithersburg’s Grove Park Apartments met with police Monday night in hopes of easing anxiety after a 25-year-old neighbor was shot in the head and killed during a robbery in the parking lot two weeks ago.

• Sebastian Montes writes, Jail time is part of trespass enforcement for day laborers:
  

  Gaithersburg Police have joined the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office in a partnership to discourage day laborers from congregating in parking lots along a three-block stretch of Route 355 near Olde Towne.

• Sebastian Montes writes, Plea comes in gang murder:
  

  The Gaithersburg teen indicted for killing a rival gang member near the Lakeforst Transit Center in November pleaded guilty last week to second-degree murder. He faces up to 30 years in jail.

  Ronald Antoine, 17, of the 400 block of North Summit Drive, did not speak during the April 24 court hearing other than to tell the Montgomery County Circuit Court judge that he understood the terms of the plea, and that he had been considering it for about a month.

• Patricia M. Murret writes, Arrests made in two rapes:
  

  Montgomery County Police detectives arrested two upcounty men last week for raping acquaintances who were asleep.

• C. Benjamin Ford writes, As fuel prices rise, so does ridership:
  

  It used to take nearly half a tank of gas for Lisa Thomas, 41, of Germantown to make her round-trip commute to her job as a policy analyst with the American Federation of Teachers in Washington.

  Now that she takes the MARC commuter train to work, she not only avoids traffic jams, she estimates she’s saving $250 to $300 a month by not having to fuel up.

  “Throw in parking, it’s another $125,” said Thomas, who now parks in the Germantown train station lot when she heads to work.

• Janel Davis writes, Council receives county land use alternative plan:
  

  County administrators briefed the council on an alternative land use and consolidation plan for several county agencies and properties.

  The plan includes using the 30 acres of the Webb Tract property in Montgomery Village as part of a plan to house a new public safety training academy.

• Janel Davis writes, Gaithersburg hires emergency manager:
  

  The city of Gaithersburg welcomed an emergency manager to its ranks last week.

  William “Skip” Lanham, a former Montgomery County Police lieutenant, started work at the police department on April 21.

• Meghan Tierney writes, Roving band of gypsy moths return for another round:
  

  Tree lovers were left reeling last year when the state suffered its worst gypsy moth infestation in 12 years, but Maryland and Montgomery officials fear that this spring’s crop of chomp-crazy caterpillars could cause even more devastation.