Melanie Diaz was 25 when she died in a high-rise fire in Silver Spring, Maryland, in 2023. The building didn’t have sprinklers.
On Saturday, her family and Montgomery County Fire Chief Corey Smedley announced an additional piece of equipment to give firefighters more time during a rescue.
“Today is about people, progress and legacy that permanently change how we protect lives,” Smedley said. “Melanie Diaz’s story reshaped fire safety, not just through remembrance, but through action.”…