Update Working Fire 3100 block 26th St NE. #DCsBravest rescued 2 occupants from burning home. Fire in basement has been knocked down. Checking for extension. pic.twitter.com/fTwuUiXpmf
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) December 23, 2019
A fire Monday morning at a home for people recovering from drug and alcohol abuse has left 16 displaced and two hurt in Northeast D.C.
At 8:49 a.m., D.C. Fire and EMS received a report there was a fire and people trapped on the 3100 block of 26th Street Northeast.
When firefighters arrived, they helped three people escape.
Two were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, while the third refused medical treatment.
The majority of residents evacuated the residence on their own after hearing smoke alarms, D.C. Fire spokesperson Vito Maggiolo told NBC Washington.
“Lives were definitely at risk. You had an advanced fire in the cellar, threatening to spread rapidly and threatening to fill the house with toxic smoke,” he said.
The home is part of the Oxford House network, which is dedicated to helping individuals maintain “sobriety without relapse.”
The D.C. mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services and the Red Cross are assisting displaced residents.
Maggiolo said the fire was contained to the basement of the two-story house, and its cause is under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
