Man Seriously Injured in Southeast Washington Apartment Fire – NBC4 Washington

A man is fighting for his life after a fire broke out in his southeast Washington DC apartment on Monday.

Neighbors turned good Samaritans intervened after noticing smoke coming from the apartment on Morris Road and 16th Street.

“They said he started kicking it, but he couldn’t get it in,” said Debra Staton, one of the man’s neighbors. “He still couldn’t get the door open. Even other neighbors tried to break down the door, but the deadbolt wouldn’t let them in.”

Washington DC fire officials said it all happened just after 5 p.m. when neighbors called 911 after hearing the alarm and seeing smoke coming from the third-floor apartment.

When crews arrived and went inside, they found an unconscious man in the kitchen, where the fire started.

“His condition was critical and life threatening,” said Vito Maggiolo of DC Fire and EMS. “We immediately began resuscitation. The victim was transported to an area hospital.”

Crews quickly brought the fire under control and prevented the flames from spreading to neighboring units.

“I’ve been my neighbor for over 20 years,” Staton said. “I’m outside every day, active.”

Neighbors like Staton are in disbelief after all the commotion. She said she has known the man for decades and described him as a fixture in the tight-knit community.

“We all feel heard because this is the second failure in this building,” she said.

At the last update, no information was yet available on the cause of the fire.