As many as a dozen people were removed from the Potomac Gardens housing complex as fire consumed a top floor unit.
DC Fire & EMS was dispatched at 12:47 PM for the odor of smoke in the building. First arriving firefighters encountered heavy fire visible from the north side of the six-story building.
As Fire and EMS units took their positions, an aggressive interior attack was begun to bring the fire under control. As the operation began, Fire/EMS personnel saw at least two people who where leaning from their windows high above the street. As aerial ladders were raised to the residents, firefighters were able to reach them through the interior of the building and guide them down via interior stairways.
After a 30-minute operation, the fire was brought under control. EMS evaluated several individuals, but only one had to be transported. An adult woman, experiencing chest pains, was taken to the George Washington University Hospital for observation.
Fire investigators have determined the fire began when smoking materials left on a bed ignited papers and blankets. Damage estimates have been placed at $15,000.
Units on the fire:
- Box Alarm: E08, E15, E19, E10, T07, T13, BC2, R3, E03
- Working Fire Dispatch: E03, BC3, CAR44, AIR2, T10, EMS23, A08, SAFO
- Second Alarm: E13, E02, E06, E32, T04, T16, BC6, FFD, CU
