A fire on the 3rd floor of Knox Hill Senior Apartments left one person seriously injured and another hospitalized for evaluation.
WASHINGTON — Several people were injured after a fire at the Knox Hill Senior Apartments Friday.
DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the fire late Friday morning. When they arrived to the building on the 2700 block of Jasper Street Southeast, they saw flames shooting from the roof from a third floor apartment.
Three people were injured and one of them was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries, according to spokesperson Daryl Levine. There is no word on the ages or identities of people injured.
Frank Campbell who lives in the complex said he could hear one his neighbors screaming for help.
“She was right next to the fire, where that black smoke was coming out,” Campbell said. “She was screaming and hollering,but our fire department got her out.”
The number of people living at the complex with mobility issues poses a challenge for first responders. DC Fire officials said the commander on scene requested additional support.
“Those units that were requested responded to the scene quickly and were able to contribute pretty rapidly to the scene and getting all of our residents to safety,” DC Battalion Chief Roy Ward said.
It’s unknown at this point how many people will be displaced by the fire, or if the building had working fire alarms or a sprinkler system.
Teams with several DC agencies were on scene assisting neighbors with things like helping them get their medications out of their units.
Campbell said the incident showed how neighbors are there to support each other, but also poses some concerns for those who cannot walk.
“We had to carry them down the steps. There’s no ramps anywhere for wheelchairs,” he said.
Those impacted by the blaze were being temporarily sheltered at the the 7th District Police Station next door. That is where Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White’s Office was helping coordinate food and water donations.
The Knox Hill Apartments complex is designated senior public subsidized housing under the D.C. Housing Authority. The building opened to residents in 1987, with a ribbon cutting ceremony by then-Mayor Marion Barry.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.