Black, charred walls stand in place of a building in Southeast D.C. that was leveled Thursday after an apparent gas leak and explosion.
A child day care center was housed next door to the now-leveled building on the 1200 block of Marion Barry Avenue. It, too, was severely destroyed by the blast from the explosion and is now fenced off.
The “Baby Einstein Child Development Center” had been a part of the Anacostia community for over a decade, owner Regina Snead said.
However, minutes before the explosion, she recalled sensing danger.
“We smelled gas, and my first instinct was, ‘let’s get the kids out.’” said Snead, “I said, ‘Get the kids out!’”
She and her staff reacted quickly, ultimately helping to evacuate 16 children, including babies, with just minutes to spare.
Surveillance video from inside the business shows an empty day care room bursting into flames and being rocked by the blast.
Snead said after smelling smoke, she and the teachers began helping the kids put their coats. They threw blankets over them as they walked outside into the freezing temperatures. A nearby smokehouse let the children stay inside to keep warm.
“The teachers did a great job singing to them and playing with them, just keeping [the kids] occupied,” said Snead. “The kids knew we were out of the building waiting for mommy or daddy to pick them up.”
Firefighters are still investigating the gas leak, which investigators say began after a car crashed into an outside gas meter.
With the day care destroyed, some parents are now scrambling to find child care. Community leaders are working to help families find alternative options.
“We don’t want to discourage the parents from going to work. What we’re trying to do is to find spacing for the children,“ said ANC Commissioner Robin McKinney.
She said the mayor’s office is working overtime with other local agencies to find child care facilities for parents. Parents will be provided with expedited emergency vouchers that can be used at other child care locations with space. One of the goals is to find places close to the Anacostia Metro stop so commutes are not drastically changed for the families.
“We don’t want to inconvenience parents at all. And we want to make sure that the kids are in a safe environment,” said McKinney.
McKinney told WTOP that they are also working to help Snead find a new space “of her choice” so that she can continue working in child care.
“[Regina’s] been here for a long time,” said McKinney.
Meanwhile, Snead has created a GoFundMe to raise money to rebuild her business.
“This is something that I’ve built for over 10 years, and just watching it deteriorate,” she said. “It was scary and sad.”
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