WASHINGTON — The parents of two people who died in a Dupont Circle house fire in June are suing the home’s owners for negligence and wrongful death.
Each family seeks $10 million in damages.
The two cases filed in D.C. Superior Court by the parents of Michael McLoughlin and Nina Brekelmans describe how the pair died, trapped on the third floor of a historic row house on Riggs Place just off 16th Street after fire broke out about 2:30 a.m., June 3.
The suits claim homeowners Max and Len Salas had multiple tenants on multiple floors in the home with appliances that were improperly installed and maintained, violating the D.C. Fire Code.
Also the suits assert that the home had no working smoke detector or fire extinguishers, windows that wouldn’t open and no fire escape ladder.
Owners Max and Len Salas, both of D.C., have 20 days to respond.
The two-alarm blaze injured five other people. McLoughlin was 24. Brekelmans was a recent Georgetown University graduate who had just been awarded a Fulbright scholarship when she was killed.
