Crime & Safety

Chevy Chase Man Confesses to Apartment Fire

More than 100 people are without a home, a fire official said.

 

After midnight Tuesday, a Chevy Chase man walked into the Sligo Avenue Police Station in Silver Spring and confessed to starting an apartment fire, Fire Chief Richard Bowers said.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Investigators (MCFR) arrested and charged Abraham Ogazgi Kiflu, 24, with first-degree arson. Kiflu is identified as a relative of a tenant and was living in the apartment at the time of the fire, officials said.

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The apartment complex located at 2815 Terrace Dr. was engulfed in flames Tuesday taking about four hours to put out and causing over $1 million in damages.

MCFR and explosive investigators report the fire damaged or destroyed about 34 units and displaced more than 100 people.

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Two firefighters suffered non-life-threatening injuries. They have both been released.

Fire officials are continuing to investigate the specific circumstances around the apartment fire.


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