Using multiple ladders, Washington, D.C., firefighters rescued several people who were trapped on the upper floors of a burning building Wednesday.
The fire broke out just before 8 p.m. at a three-story apartment building in the Northwest neighborhood of the district, the Washington Post reports. When D.C. Fire and EMS crews reached the scene, they could see dense smoke coming from the windows and heard residents screaming from balconies on the upper floors.
The building's location made it difficult to position apparatus next to it to help with the rescue, Lt. Steve Hines told reporters during a news conference. Instead, firefighters carried as many as five ladders down an alley and deployed them to reach the trapped residents.
One woman was dangling from a top-floor balcony when crews first arrived. According to Hines, firefighters were able to convince her to pull herself back onto the balcony so that they could eventually get her to the ground safely.
Along with the woman, three other residents were rescued by ladder. One woman was seriously injured during the fire, and four others—three children and an adult—were evaluated at the scene, but they didn't need to be taken to the hospital, WUSA-TV reports.
The fire displaced 12 people. Investigators determined that the fire was accidentally started by someone cooking in a ground-floor apartment, according to the Post.
