Silver Spring explosion: Officials hope to prevent future tragedies as victims struggle to pick up pieces

SILVER SPRING, Md. - It’s been a month since that devastating explosion at the Friendly Garden Apartments in Silver Spring, and questions still linger about how to prevent these tragedies in the future.

Some resident have moved back into other surrounding buildings since that explosion, but a lot of people say they are still on edge.

We know that the March explosion was caused by a maintenance worker accidentally cutting a gas line, instead of a water pipe.  

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: No deaths confirmed: Silver Spring apartment explosion ruled 'accidental'

At the time, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said the county would work on legislation to make sure this would never happen again.

Fox 5 spoke with the County Executive again to follow up about the legislation.

"It’s the first time anybody’s done this where somebody cut a pipe and a building blew up. So this is not exactly something which happens every day. It’s a problem that this unfortunate incident highlighted, that it was very clear these pipes were not clearly distinguishable. And we will get to the bottom of who has to make this decision," said Elrich.

Montgomery County's Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, Dr. Earl Stoddard, says Maryland state law gives the area’s water utility company, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, jurisdiction over internal gas pipes from the regulator to the appliance. 

The county is now working with WSSC to see if they can enforce a plumbing standard that calls for exposed piping to be identified with a yellow label and the word "gas" in black letters, outside the room where the appliance is located. 

The explosion at the Friendly Garden Apartments displaced 125 adults and 36 children, including Karen Linette. 

Linnette says her bottom floor apartment is located in the building that exploded, but the unit is still standing.

She tells Fox 5 that she needs to get back inside the unit to get her things.

 "Right now the struggle is to get back in – have another opportunity to get back in and get my personal information. I have important papers and files. I’m a recording artist as well. So I have tons of music, music memorabilia," said Linnette.

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The apartments impacted by the explosion were HUD units that provided affordable housing, adding to the challenges faced by families displaced after the explosion.

Sources tell Fox 5 that several families are still looking for new homes.