D.C. police say one person is dead after a row house fire in northwest Washington.
Fire officials said the blaze started shortly after 5 a.m. in the 900 block of Delafield Place in Northwest.
Officials said the blaze started in a second-floor bedroom and was contained to one house.
The body of an adult female was discovered by firefighters after the fire was put out, officials said.
"I don't think she had any electricity or nothing like that," said Leroy Drummond, who lives on the same block.
Investigators are still searching for an exact cause, but they are also looking into the possibility that the victim was trying keep warm as the temperature plunged below freezing Tuesday night.
Firefighters also said they encountered a tremendous amount of clutter in the home. One firefighter said his feet never hit the floor and that he was always walking on some pile of clothing or debris.
Mayor Adrian Fenty stopped by the scene to get an update from investigators. He said his office will look into whether more could have been done to help the victim prior to the blaze.
"We have to do aggressive outreach," Fenty said. "We have to make sure our seniors, low-income residents or anyone else without heat knows that there are ways you can contact the government or our energy office or our emergency assistance fund so we can help get your power back on to avoid this from happening."
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