Community members affected by a deadly 2016 Silver Spring, Md., gas explosion sued Washington Gas Light Co. and the apartment management company that owned the property where the explosion took place.

The blast in the apartment building's meter room and the subsequent fire killed seven and injured dozens of other people.

The March 30 lawsuit alleged that the management company, Kay Apartment Communities, knew about safety risks at the Flower Branch complex but did not take steps to prevent the blast, according to a statement from law firm Chaikin Sherman Cammarata & Siegel PC.

"Despite repeated warnings, the apartment management chose not to take reasonable action to protect its residents from imminent potentially deadly harm," attorney Joseph Cammarata said. "Their conscious disregard for the safety and well-being of their residents led to our clients suffering the horror of a terrifying explosion, causing personal injury and the loss of their home and possessions."

The National Transportation Safety Board has been investigating the incident, but has not yet reached a conclusion. Citing the NTSB investigation, Kay Apartment Communities and Washington Gas declined to comment on the litigation.

"Washington Gas was invited by NTSB to be a party to the investigation and in that capacity continues to work closely with the NTSB to help determine the cause of this tragic event," WGL Holdings Inc. spokesman Bernie Tylor said March 30.