“Arose from a tragic incident”: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signs fire safety and prevention law

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (DC News now) – Cesar Augusto Diaz said he still feels the pain of the loss of his daughter Melanie Diaz, who died in a high-rise fire in Silver Spring last year.

The Diaz family pushed state officials to tighten fire safety laws, leading to Gov. Wes Moore signing the Melanie Diaz Fire Safety Act into law on Thursday.

The bill requires all high-rise apartments to have smoke detectors and requires owners to inform residents whether or not the building has working sprinklers.

“I don’t want anyone to feel the same pain that we feel,” said Cesar Augusto Diaz, whose daughter died of smoke inhalation in the stairwell of the high-rise building.

Melanie Diaz, 25, had just graduated from Georgetown University and had a life ahead of her, family members said.

“You can replace a car, you can replace a house, but you can’t replace a life,” her father said.

According to authorities investigating the Feb. 18, 2033 fire, Arrival Silver Spring Apartments did not have a sprinkler system or working smoke detectors.

Sen. William Smith (D-Silver Spring) sponsored the bill.

The bill “came out of a tragic incident,” he said.

Smith said the bill also requires the creation of a task force to conduct research and make recommendations to require better fire safety measures in the future, such as attempting to retrofit older high-rise buildings with sprinkler systems.

“This bill brings us closer to ensuring that every building in Maryland, every high-rise in Maryland has a sprinkler system and adequate fire protection,” Smith said.

The Diaz family flew in from their home in Florida to witness the governor sign the bill.

Melanie Diaz’s brother. Cesar Alejandro Diaz said it was “very difficult” for her.

“I hope that through the passage of this law and the actions we will take in the future, we can find some kind of healing,” he said.