WASHINGTON --
Firefighters were called to battle a blaze at a house in the District on Friday morning.
Officials said the fire broke out at about 2:30 a.m. at a single-family home in the 5600 block of Kansas Avenue in Northwest.
Firefighters discovered two women dead in the house. The women, one believed to be in her 80s and one believed to be in her 50s, are thought to be mother and daughter, officials said.
Fire officials said the women were overcome by smoke.
Firefighters said they believe the fire started in the basement of the house and the flames spread to the first floor.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said the house did not have working smoke detectors.
"Simply put when people go to sleep, so do all their senses. They have no idea that this heavy fire is building below in the basement without having a smoke detector slash carbon monoxide detector," Rubin said. "I think they actually died in their beds."
Three people have died so far this year in fire-related incidents, News4's Megan McGrath reported.
Firefighters will be handing out free smoke/carbon monoxide detectors near the scene on Friday.
