9-year-old boy in grave condition after fatal fire in Northwest DC

A 9-year-old boy remains in grave condition after fatal fire on Sunday morning at a Northwest rowhouse.

DC Fire and EMS officials say a box alarm was sounded around 9:40 a.m. for a fire on the 700 block of Kennedy Street, NW.

When firefighters arrived to the two-story home, they saw smoking showing from all floors and the basement.

Fire officials say during the search for victims, firefighters had a difficult time moving through the home due to the “cut up layout the interior, as well as security bas in unexpected locations, including behind inside doorways.”

Firefighters found a man and a boy in the rear of the first floor. They were carried outside unconscious and not breathing. The man latter succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.

A woman who fled the home before firefighters arrived at the scene was later transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

As a result of the fire, five other occupants of the home were displaced.

Ernest Chrappah, the director of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs released a statement following the fire, saying, in part, that the home “was not licensed as a residential rental property.” Read it in full below:

“We are heartbroken about the loss of life, and extend our deepest sympathies to the victims’ family and friends. The property where the fire took place was not licensed as a residential rental property. I’d like to take this moment to remind tenants in the District that landlords must follow specific fire safety requirements. If you are living in a rental property that is not following these critical safety requirements, please reach out to us —which you can do anonymously—so that we can hold your landlord responsible and ensure that you are living in a safe environment.”

Source:Fox 5 DC