Residents in the dark again at University Towers

A second electrical fire this week yesterday has blacked out the University Towers condominiums at 1111 University Boulevard W. in Silver Spring. More than 1000 residents are without air conditioning, hot water and other basic services at the 275 unit complex.

Electrical contractors, engineers and others worked throughout the day Tuesday to resolve the outage, which began after the property's second fire in 72 hours, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. He said the condo's fire alarm system remains functional.

Montgomery County code enforcement officers have inspected the situation and posted a violation notice at the property, Piringer said.

Despite the heat, most residents are sticking it out in their units overnight. For those who want out, the Red Cross has now established a shelter at Blair High School. The Parents Coalition of Montgomery County tweeted a query as to as why the closer Northwood High School was not utilized - good question.

A more long term question that must be on the minds of University Towers residents: How did this happen? And, how much is it going to cost them to fix? As a condo building, unless a contractor or other 3rd party can be fingered for this, the cost will likely fall on residents to pay off with a higher condo fee.

Fuel spill at Hillandale Shell station in Silver Spring (Photo)

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to a fuel spill at the Hillandale Shell station near Powder Mill Road in Silver Spring last night. A hazmat team was part of the response, but fortunately, no fire occurred.

No injuries were reported, according to MCFRS spokesperson Pete Piringer. There was no word on the cause of the spill as of press time.

Photo: Pete Piringer/MCFRS

Electrical fire blacks out University Towers in Silver Spring (Photos)

An electrical fire in the boiler room at University Towers at 6:15 PM last night had residents stuck in elevators, sheltering in place, and in the dark for hours. Power was restored to all apartments by around 11 PM.

The condominium at 1121 University Boulevard W. has more than 1000 residents in its 15 stories. After the fire was extinguished, the evacuated residents were told to shelter in place until PEPCO could restore power. No injuries were reported, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. Several residents were evaluated by EMTs, however.

Photo: Pete Piringer

Suspect at large in armed robbery on Gist Ave. in Silver Spring

A Maryland State Police helicopter assisted Montgomery County Police after an armed robbery in the 600 block of Gist Avenue early Thursday evening in Silver Spring. Gist Avenue is located near Takoma Park Middle School.

Police say 2 masked robbers displayed at least one handgun during the robbery. The suspects were described as 2 black males, late teens to early twenties, wearing all black, including the masks. No specifics were given regarding the type of mask worn.

Following a search, one suspect was in police custody an hour later. The other suspect remains at large. Police did not say the handgun was recovered from the captured suspect. Until that detail is released, you should probably assume the other suspect remains armed.

An investigation is ongoing in this case. If you have any information you can share with detectives, call the non-emergency number at 301-279-8000, or 911 if the situation is an emergency requiring an urgent police response.

Child falls from 8th floor of White Oak Towers, miraculously survives

A 4-year-old boy fell from an 8th-story window at the White Oak Towers apartments Wednesday evening in Silver Spring. Although the child sustained injuries "consistent with a fall," Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer said, his injuries were not considered life threatening.

The child was transported to a local hospital after being evaluated by EMTs. Montgomery County Police are investigating the incident to determine exactly what happened.

Wheaton water main break repaired, rush hour nightmare ahead as SB Georgia Avenue remains closed

The WSSC completed repair of the water main under Georgia Avenue around 1:00 AM this morning, but commuters will have a rough trip down Georgia anyway. Southbound Georgia Avenue will remain closed for the morning commute between Randolph Road and Arcola Avenue. The break occurred yesterday at Georgia and Weisman Road near Glenmont in Wheaton.

Southbound and northbound traffic will share the northbound lanes of Georgia along that stretch, meaning about 33% less capacity for southbound traffic. This will be a good example of what traffic would be like if Montgomery County were to implement its proposed Bus Rapid Transit plan, which would seize one lane from each side of Georgia for BRT lanes. Multiplied by all of the impacts north and south of this segment, of course.

The water main break flooded nearby homes, and cut water service to residents as well as to the Wheaton Park Shopping Center on Wednesday. A 68-year-old 16" underground main was responsible for the failure, according to the WSSC. The utility estimates that 2.5 million gallons of water were lost during the break yesterday.

Water was restored around 11:25 PM last night to customers affected by the break, according to WSSC.

The offending gash in the
68-year-old pipe under Georgia

Photos courtesy WSSC

Special sushi night in downtown Silver Spring July 27

Silver Spring residents will have a chance July 27 to sample the sushi rolls of a new chef arriving this fall in Montgomery County - before his restaurant opens.

Stanford Grill will be opening in September at 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard in Rockville. They'll be adding world-class sushi to the American cuisine they've already built a following for at their Columbia location. You might not be surprised to hear that they've named an executive chef for the Rockville restaurant who knows sushi well.

Sean Kinoshita will come to Rockville from his former restaurant, the famed Tao Asian Bistro in Las Vegas. Of his cuisine, Kinoshita says, "A lot of people ask me how I make good food. I just say, I make food I like to eat. I make food that reflects my taste and flavors."

For the Stanford Grill Rockville menu, Kinoshita has created 5 sushi rolls, including:  two spicy tuna rolls, one original-style with sriracha mayo and one battera style. The spicy tuna roll battera style coils around avocado, sashimi, wasabi, scallions, sriracha mayo and unagi sauce. A coconut shrimp roll will feature a spicy masago mayo, crisp cucumber, avocado and pea sprouts. And a yellowtail jalapeno roll will bundle yellowtail, jalapeno, wasabi and cilantro.

But Stanford Grill wants to give you a preview of his handiwork in advance. They are hosting 3 special preview sushi nights with Chef Sean Kinoshita at the following locations and dates (reservations are recommended due to limited seating):

July 13, 4-10 PM

Stanford Grill

8900 Stanford Boulevard

Columbia, MD 21045

410-312-0445

July 27, 4-10 PM

Copper Canyon Grill

928 Ellsworth Drive

Silver Spring, 20910

301-589-1330

August 10, 4-10 PM

Copper Canyon Grill

9300 Taj Lane

Lanham, MD 20706

301-322-8600