Almost 3 years after an explosion, a Gaithersburg family returns home

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captionElementsArray captionElements captionElementsArray forEach el if el size el style width size width px el style display block Family returns home three years after Gaithersburg explosion In November an explosion rocked the Potomac Oaks Condominiums in Gaithersburg Maryland killing one person and badly injuring several others The subsequent fire also left dozens of families without a home Now chosen of those families are returning home for the first time since the blast It s much different from before that s for sure Marc St Jour commented as he entered his rebuilt condo Everything is new and I m excited Since the blast Marc his wife Sarah and their two children -year-old Avah and -month-old Noah have been going from hotel to hotel apartment to apartment and dealing with insurance as their condo was rebuilt Related stories injured critically in explosion fire at Gaithersburg condo building After the blast families devastated by Montgomery Co condo blast share struggle to pick up the pieces Gaithersburg condo blast Body exposed among rubble police examining practicable criminal act Thank God where we are now Sarah St Jour announced When the explosion happened Sarah sleeping at home with Avah and recalled being awakened by a rumble At first she thought it was just an earthquake So I didn t think it was anything serious until I went on the balcony and I looked down and I just see people running around frantically And I looked to my left and there s rubble and I was like Oh my God ' she noted She recalled only having time to grab her and Avah s coats before they rushed out of the apartment Unknowingly I was holding her in a way that protected her from the smoke once I got out there because I dealt with smoke inhalation Sarah reported I m glad my mommy instincts kicked in She was treated and circulated in the hospital for smoke inhalation but doctors explained Avah was fine Before leaving the condo Sarah called her husband who rushed to the building worried his wife and young daughter didn t make it out That s something that stays with you forever Marc noted Marc St Jour his wife Sarah and their two children -year-old Avah and -month-old Noah WTOP Mike Murillo WTOP Mike Murillo The new condo the St Jours moved into WTOP Mike Murillo WTOP Mike Murillo The newly built condos the St Jour family moved into WTOP Mike Murillo WTOP Mike Murillo The new condos the St Jour family moved into WTOP Mike Murillo WTOP Mike Murillo Specific families are returning for the first time to newly built condos after a blast in Gaithersburg Maryland WTOP Mike Murillo WTOP Mike Murillo Share This Gallery Share This share on facebook share on X share on threads share on linkedin share on email print In January WTOP chronicled their struggles after the blast which included initially being denied by their insurance company leaving them forced to pay out of pocket for hotels with money they didn t have after losing everything in the fire Fast forward to June the only reminder of what happened near the condos is the fence that was put up around the destroyed buildings shortly after the blast For Sarah she is still coping with what took place If I hear loud noises I get scared and I think there s an explosion or a fire is coming Sarah noted She disclosed that even though her daughter was very young when the blast happened Avah still suffers from anxiety due to what took place The explosion according to investigators was a fire started by the man who died Police announced he died by suicide during the blast The St Jours announced various of their neighbors didn t return instead opting to move out and sell their units because the rebuild took too long The couple reported they understood that decision as they struggled to keep up with paying for a mortgage for a home they can t live in while paying rent for apartments as construction took place Just because your house burns down doesn t mean that you stop paying the mortgage Marc disclosed The couple disclosed they were thankful for the plenty of people and organizations that helped them along the way Difficulties remain among them furnishing the new condo since the insurance payments were not enough to cover all they lost but ultimately they say they are just happy to definitively be home I m happy for the future and what s ahead and how we could just build from here Sarah declared Source