The petals have dried up, but bouquets of flowers remain in the chain link fence in front of the Sterling, Virginia, townhouse where 36-year-old Madelaine Akers lived and died in a fire on Oct. 24.
However, neighbors on Riptide Square, in the Lowes Island neighborhood, have told WTOP they have grown weary and frustrated by “the daily reminder of the arson and loss of life” they continue to see and smell.
During a visit Thursday, the townhouse at 20703 Riptide Square, where Akers lived, has been removed and cleared down to the concrete slab. However, the severely damaged homes flanking Akers’ home are still there, as is the smell of burned-out materials…