Seven people have been taken to the hospital after a fire erupted at an apartment building for seniors in Southwest Washington D.C.
D.C. fire crews extinguished a two-alarm fire at an apartment building for seniors just before 10 a.m. at the eight-story Greenleaf Senior Center, which is part of the District’s Housing Authority.
Update 2 Alarm Fire 1200 Delaware Ave SW. Had heavy fire on arrival 1st floor apartment 8 story occupied apartment building. Fire extinguishing. Transporting an adult female and adult male with serious injuries to area trauma center. Others being evaluated on scene. pic.twitter.com/YriLpIIOei
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) December 28, 2019
Fire crews sawed the barred windows of the apartment to rescue two of the people in the building.
“We immediately went to work with metal cutting saws to cut the bars off the windows,” said D.C. Fire spokesman Vito Maggiolo. “One firefighter held the hand of one of the victims through the bars, encouraging them that we were going to get to them and save their lives.”
Maggiolo stressed that a reason that the two survived was because they shut the bedroom door, providing a barrier between them and the fire.
Two people, a man and woman, were taken to a nearby trauma center with serious injuries. A third was taken with non life-threatening injuries. D.C. Fire and EMS later said an additional four people were taken to the hospital.
The fire displaced residents in five apartments. They will now have to find a new place to live.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Below is the area where the fire occurred.
