A major fire at an apartment complex for seniors in Washington DC led to rescues carried out by not only firefighters but bystanders and Marines as well.
The Washington Post reports that the blaze sent flames and plumes of black smoke into the air from the roof of the Arthur Capper Senior Public Housing complex in the 900 block of Fifth Street SE beginning at around 3:20 p.m.
The Twitter account of DC Fire and EMS was full of striking photos and dramatic video of the event, including footage of a firefighter slowly assisting a senior down a ladder from a window on an upper floor:
Other videos from the scene showed bystanders running toward the building pushing wheelchairs and Marines from a nearby Navy Yard helping with rescues.
Four people were hospitalized with injuries, acting DC Fire Chief Milton E. Douglas said at a press conference.
The blaze had already lasted for close to three hours before the roof of the building buckled, which strengthened fire activity. DC crews used four ladder trucks and multiple ground units to try to bring the blaze under control, and firefighters from Maryland also responded to the scene.
“Units had extensive issues with extinguishing the fire because of the volume,” Douglas said.
