A massive water leak Wednesday afternoon forced Montgomery County officials to condemn a Safeway grocery store and a neighboring apartment building in Wheaton, displacing around 1,000 residents — and their pets.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said in a post on social media that there’s “no timeline on repairs or if generators will be able to be installed.”
Officials estimate roughly 300,000 gallons of water filled the lower level, Piringer said, submerging several utility rooms, including electrical and mechanical systems. Crews began pumping water out of the building late Wednesday afternoon.
As a precaution, power to both 11201 and 11215 Georgia Avenue has been cut, and it may take days before it can be safely restored.
WTOP’s Luke Lukert, who was at the scene Thursday morning, said he could see crates and crates of cabling outside.
The county’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security are working with residents who have been displaced, Piringer said.
A map of where the water leak happened is below.
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