Photos/Story By Allan Etter

Washington -- An early morning fire has destroyed three homes in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest and injured a firefighter.

Just before 7:00 a.m., units were dispatched to the 900 block of Madison St., NW, where fire was raging in the basement of one of the homes. Firefighters moved toward an interior attack, but were held back initially because the difficulty in getting the electricity turned off. The fire extended from the back of the initial row house to low hanging powerlines, causing an electrical arc and presenting a hazardous situation for firefighters.

One firefighter was injured after falling about 20 feet from a ladder in front of the building. Firefighter Paul Ince from Truck 11, Platoon 3 suffered minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

"Given the wind and the access problems, this could've been much worse," said Deputy Fire Chief Rogers Massey, the on-scene commander. "Our firefighters did an excellent job containing this fire and bringing it under control."

The cause of the fire is under investigation. A damage estimate is not yet available.

Box Alarm: E22, E24, E14, E11, T11, T14, BC4, R2, E04(communications)
Working Fire Dispatch: E21, BC5, CAR43, AIR1, T09, EMS45, A24, SAFO, FFD
Task Force Units: E28, E26, T15, BC1

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