A man is fighting for his life after a fire in his Southeast D.C. apartment Monday.
Neighbors sprung in action after they noticed smoke coming from the apartment at Morris Road and 16th Street.
“They said he started kicking and kicking and kicking, but to no avail,” said Debra Staton, one of the man’s neighbors. “He still couldn’t get the door open. Even other neighbors tried to kick the door in but the deadbolt wouldn’t allow them in.”
D.C. fire officials said it happened just after 5 p.m., when neighbors called 911 after hearing the alarm and seeing smoke coming from the third-floor apartment.
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By the time crews arrived and made their way inside, they found a man unresponsive in the kitchen, where the fire began.
“He was in critical, life-threatening condition,” said Vito Maggiolo of D.C. Fire and EMS. “We immediately began advanced life-support measures. The victim has been transported to an area hospital.”
Crews made quick work putting out the fire and kept the flames from spreading to other homes.
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“Been a neighbor of mine for over 20 years,” Staton said. “Out every day, active.”
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Neighbors like Staton are in disbelief. She said she's known that man for decades and described him as a fixture in the tight-knit community.
“We all sort of feel heard because that's the second failure in that building,” she said.
It wasn't immediately clear what started the fire.
