A resident and firefighter are injured after a fire gutted a Northeast D.C. home on Wednesday afternoon.
D.C. Fire and EMS crews were called to a two-story home at 3400 South Dakota Avenue NE around 12:20 p.m. Wednesday. Firefighters arrived to see flames extending up the building, and started a search after getting word of occupants potentially trapped inside.
One resident was found inside the home suffering from non-life threatening injuries and was transported to a hospital for treatment, D.C. Fire spokesman Vito Maggiolo said. A firefighter was also transported with a non-life threatening injury.
All other residents were accounted for. A total of five are displaced and will be assisted by the Red Cross.
The fire spread quickly through the walls of the home, known as “knee walls,” and reached the second floor and attic. Firefighters fought the blaze from inside until the situation became dangerous, at which point they withdrew and worked to bring it under control from the outside.
“Because of the nature of that wood-frame construction where it gets in the knee walls, it quickly spread to the second floor and attic,” Maggiolo told WTOP. “The house is damaged on all floors, on all levels.”
2 Alarm fire now 3400 block S. Dakota Ave NE. Fire on all floors, basement and attic 2 story detached frame house. Interior attack continues. live wires down on an engine company apparatus. 1 injured civilian being treated by EMS. 20 units & 100 personnel on scene or enroute. pic.twitter.com/IGECVXa94m
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) January 4, 2023
The blaze was spotted by two firefighters who were shuttling supplies to firehouses across the city, WTOP’s John Domen reported. One of them — a rookie only five months into his firefighting career — witnessed smoke while driving through the area shortly after noon.
First responders faced an additional challenge during their efforts: A live wire fell on one of the first arriving engine companies, rendering it inoperable until Pepco could cut power.
A second alarm was called to bring in more firefighting resources. About 100 personnel responded. Some remained on scene Wednesday afternoon to knock down hot spots.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Maggiolo added, but is believed to have started in the basement and spread upward.
