Two women were badly injured and 35 people were displaced by a fire in D.C.’s Columbia Heights neighborhood on the morning of New Year’s Eve, officials said.
Firefighters responded to the 1400 block of Chapin St NW, which is near Meridian Hill Park, and found flames shooting from the roof of a four-story apartment building, D.C. Fire and EMS said.
People were trapped, D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo said.
“It was a challenging fire. One o’clock in the morning. You’ve got a building full of sleeping people and a significant fire that’s already visible from windows on the top floor,” Maggiolo said.
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The two women were rescued and taken to hospitals. One was in critical condition, and the other was in serious condition, D.C. Fire said.
Everyone else got out safely. Video shows residents being rescued via an aerial ladder.
The building was declared uninhabitable, leaving 35 residents without homes, D.C. Fire said. Officials called buses to the scene so residents had a warm place to wait.
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One neighbor threw a coat over her pajamas and brought warm clothes to the burning building, knowing some residents may have run outside with no supplies.
RaJshawn Scott showed News4 her bag filled with gloves, sweaters and pants.
"I’m just proud to be able to say – this is our community, our block. And we’re here for everyone," Scott said.
Firefighters extinguished the majority of the fire overnight. By daybreak Tuesday, broken windows and charred bricks could be seen on the upper levels of the building.
About 100 personnel were on the scene, officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation
