In November 2022, an explosion rocked the Potomac Oaks Condominiums in Gaithersburg, Maryland, killing one person and badly injuring several others. The subsequent fire also left dozens of families without a home.
Now, some of those families are returning home for the first time since the blast.
“It’s much different from before, that’s for sure,” Marc St. Jour said as he entered his rebuilt condo. “Everything is new, and I’m excited.”
Since the blast, Marc, his wife Sarah and their two children, 2-year-old Avah and 6-month-old Noah, have been going from hotel to hotel, apartment to apartment and dealing with insurance as their condo was rebuilt.
“Thank God where we are now,” Sarah St. Jour said.
When the explosion happened, Sarah was sleeping at home with Avah and recalled being awakened by a rumble.
“I didn’t think it was anything serious, until I went on the balcony, and I looked down, and I just see people running around frantically. And I looked to my left, and there’s rubble, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God,'” she said.
She recalled only having time to grab her and Avah’s coats before they rushed out of the apartment.
“Unknowingly, I was holding her in a way that protected her from the smoke once I got out there, because I dealt with smoke inhalation,” Sarah said. “I’m glad my mommy instincts kicked in.”
She was treated and released in the hospital for smoke inhalation, but doctors said Avah was fine.
Before leaving the condo, Sarah called her husband who rushed to the building, worried his wife and young daughter didn’t make it out.
“That’s something that stays with you forever,” Marc said.
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In January 2023, WTOP chronicled their struggles after the blast which included initially being denied by their insurance company, leaving them forced to pay out of pocket for hotels with money they didn’t have after losing everything in the fire.
Fast forward to June 2025, the only reminder of what happened near the condos is the fence that was put up around the destroyed buildings shortly after the blast.
For Sarah, she is still coping with what took place.
“If I hear loud noises, I get scared, and I think there’s an explosion or a fire is coming,” Sarah said.
She said that even though her daughter was very young when the blast happened, Avah still suffers from anxiety due to what took place.
The explosion, according to investigators, was a fire started by a man who died by suicide during the blast, WUSA9 reported.
The St. Jours said many of their neighbors didn’t return, instead opting to move out and sell their units, because the rebuild took too long. The couple said they understood that decision, as they struggled to keep up with paying for a mortgage for a home they can’t live in, while paying rent for apartments as construction took place.
“Just because your house burns down, doesn’t mean that you stop paying the mortgage,” Marc said.
The couple said they were thankful for the many people and organizations that helped them along the way.
Difficulties remain, among them furnishing the new condo since the insurance payments were not enough to cover all they lost, but ultimately, they say they are just happy to finally be home.
“I’m happy for the future and what’s ahead and how we could just build from here,” Sarah said.