DC apartment was target of 2 arson attacks in just over 24 hours

Investigators have identified a person of interest in two arson attacks on the same apartment in D.C. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and Rescue)
An investigation is ongoing in the case of an arson attack on the same apartment in D.C. twice in a little over 24 hours. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and Rescue)
Firefighters respond to an arson attack twice in the span of a little more than 24 hours. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and Rescue)
A first floor apartment in D.C. was attacked twice by an arsonist. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and Rescue)
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A fire broke out at a D.C. apartment building for the second time in just over 24 hours on Friday morning. Authorities said the fires are the result of targeted arson attacks and a suspect has been taken into custody.

An accelerant was thrown in an attack on a first floor apartment in the 2100 block of Suitland Terrace in Southeast, according to police.


Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said the first incident happened around 7 a.m. Thursday. The more serious attack happened Friday just before 9 a.m.

More than a dozen firefighters responded to the scene Friday morning. Maggiolo said the accelerants were tossed from outside the building.

He said the people living in the apartment were staying elsewhere after the first attack and weren’t in the building Friday morning.

Police have since taken a suspect into custody whose identity hasn’t been released.

An accelerant-sniffing K-9 team was there Friday morning checking the area.

Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call the D.C. arson hotline at (202) 673-ARSON (2776).

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Valerie Bonk

Valerie Bonk started working at WTOP in 2016 and has lived in Howard County, Maryland, her entire life. She's thrilled to be a reporter for WTOP telling stories on air. She works as both a television and radio reporter in the Maryland and D.C. areas. 

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