Flames, smoke persist as fire at vacant Silver Spring elementary school continues to burn

SILVER SPRING, Md. - A massive fire that consumed a vacant elementary school in Silver Spring overnight continued to burn Wednesday morning but has since been contained. The cause of the fire remains unknown.

Fire crews first responded to the construction site of Joann Leleck Elementary School at Broad Acres on Beacon Road near Northampton Drive around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Heavy smoke spread from the school to the Beltway, several miles away, affecting nearby apartments. Rain and mist helped mitigate its impact.

Eighty-five firefighters from Montgomery and Prince George’s counties worked to control the fire, which quickly spread to two alarms. Crews used towers to shoot water cannons onto the flames that had spread through the roof. Over eight hours after the blaze was first detected, flames and smoke still filled the sky. Despite the intensity of the flames, no firefighters were injured.

The school, built in 1952, was undergoing demolition for a new building and was unoccupied. The new school, intended to accommodate over 900 students, was scheduled to open in August 2026. The fire’s cause is still under investigation, and it is too early to determine how it will affect the construction timeline.