Maryland Community Newspapers Online
The cause of an early-morning blaze that destroyed one of Rockville's most recognizable landmarks more than three weeks ago is still being explored, but investigators are following leads gleaned from canvassing the community, county fire officials said this week.
Capt. Oscar Garcia, a spokesman for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, said tips from interviews members of the community are directing fire investigators as they search for who or what caused Chestnut Lodge to ignite around 2 a.m. on June 7.
"It's still an open investigation," he said. "We're still following up on leads."
Authorities have said they are looking for a group of three to four teenagers or young adults who were seen or heard near the building, at 500 West Montgomery Ave., in the hours preceding the blaze.
Fire officials have stopped short of calling the incident arson, but said they know the fire was caused by a person or persons.
The Rockville community was hit hard by the loss of what many saw as part of the city's identity.
Before the June 22 City Council meeting, former employees of the world-renowned psychiatric hospital and longtime community members spoke about what the building meant to them and what it meant to the community.
Most said the city will not be the same without Chestnut Lodge.
Mayor Susan R. Hoffmann likened the event to losing an old friend.
When authorities arrived at the scene around 3 a.m., the six-story building was fully engulfed in flames, said Kenneth I. Korenblatt, battalion chief for the Fire and Rescue Service Explosive Investigations Bomb Squad.
It took at least four hours and approximately 95 firefighters to extinguish the two-alarm fire, he said. The roof collapsed into the basement about a half hour after firefighters arrived.
Chestnut Lodge, which opened in the spring of 1889 as the luxury Woodlawn Hotel, remained a hotel for less than 20 years before it was purchased by Dr. Ernest L. Bullard, who turned it into a sanitarium. The property remained a private hospital for many decades, changing owners a few times until it was bought by Chestnut Lodge Properties Inc., a division of Chase Communities.
The company is converting the property into houses. The building was going to be turned into seven luxury condominiums.
The public is asked to call the county's arson tip line at 240-777-2263 with information about the fire that destroyed Chestnut Lodge. Tips can also be sent to Montgomery County Police by typing "MCPD" plus the tip on a cell phone or PDA and texting it to 274637 (CRIMES); by visiting www.montgomerycountymd.gov/police or www.tipsubmit.com and clicking on the Web Tip link; or by calling 240-773-TIPS (8477) or 866-411-TIPS (8477) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
All tips can remain anonymous.