More water, smoke seemingly receding. Firefighters continue battling 2-alarm fire after explosion 16th & Isherwood. pic.twitter.com/jHDd0fnwaJ
— mattashburn (@mattashburn) June 4, 2014
The smoke from yesterday's fire was hard to miss. It could be seen for miles around. The source of the smoke was an apartment building located at 1603 Isherwood in Kingman Park. There was an explosion right around 4pm, followed by a giant plume of black smoke. The explosion knocked off the back wall of the apartment building, and also blew out windows in nearby homes. At least 12 units, and three rowhouses were impacted. More than 30 people could not sleep in their homes last night, with someone them having lost everything in the blaze. One man (a tenant of the building) and his dog perished in the explosion/fire. There bodies were found by investigators after the fire was extinguished. The area is being treated as a crime scene, and FBI/ATF agents are/have been on-site.
Video of DC firefighters knocking down 2-alarm blaze after explosion at 16th & Isherwood: http://t.co/eS0qgtPDd8 @KelleeAzarFox5 @IAFF36
— mattashburn (@mattashburn) June 4, 2014
What's left of the house at 16th and Isherwood NE. Oy. @FrozenTropics @DCist pic.twitter.com/Lm3DJ9tdkG
— Phil Yabut (@philliefan_99) June 4, 2014
More fire news:
NBC4
WaPo
WUSA9
32 comments:
This would be Chris and his dog Bella. :(
Chris was an absolute sweetheart. Always had a smile and a hello and a kind word for everyone.
So sad. Guess it really hasn't set in for me yet. RIP.
Yup, that was Chris and Bella. He was the sweetest person ever. He was the first person to greet us when we moved into the neighborhood and would always come out of his way to bring Bella over to hang out with our dog. So sad. Still cant believe it.
My worst fear was and is that it was Chris and Bella. I chatted with him and gave Bella a pat just last Saturday. Such a nice guy and the caretaker of our alley cats. I haven't seen a rodent in our alley for years, thanks to Chris and those cats. So sad.
Confirmed via WaPo: Chris Christofi likely victim of fatal Northeast Washington fire, sister says
there was some kind of bomb threat somewhere on the east side yesterday
12:54,
It was a suspicious package in the alley next to H Street Country Club. they brought out a bomb sniffing robot, but it turned out (thankfully) to be a false alarm. No relation to what happened on Isherwood.
We live in the southern part of Trinidad and have been hearing large explosions going off around the neighborhood for weeks. We wondered if it was just kids playing with fireworks, but the noise is always alarmingly louder than any firework I've ever seen. Has anyone else been hearing those?
Trinidad Resident,
I've been hearing a lot of fireworks recently. Some of these fireworks can be quite loud.People might be setting off stuff that came in from Pennsylvania or somewhere with fireworks laws less restrictive than those in DC. You can expect the intensity to step up as we approach the 4th of July.
Rest in peace.
Those who knew him, I'm sorry for your loss.
RIP, and my condolences to family, friends, and the neighborhood critters.
Does anyone know the cause of the explosion?
My condolences to those who knew Chris and his neighbors who have lost their homes. Sending prayers.
Please consider donating to my friend Laurie who lost her home, dog Biggie Smalls, and cat Lila in this tragic fire. https://www.crowdrise.com/laurieshome/fundraiser/choichoi
The loud explosions in Trinidad are M-80s. They are not legal anywhere in the U.S. and they are dangerous. The police are aware of this. If you call 911, be sure to mention you are calling about "M-80s" and not fireworks or they will ignore you. Of course, they still might ignore you...
any possibility this is a meth lab explosion? More and more signs seem to point that way..
Trinidad Guy,
That sounds highly unlikely. Meth labs smell terrible. I very much doubt that someone would attempt to cook in a shared space like that.
I hear that but:
1) A man was inside and if it was a gas explosion, he would have smelled gas long before the place blew up. Also Washington Gas said there was no service to that building.
2) No one else was in the building during that time. Why was he there?? What was he doing?
An explosion of this magnitude limits the possible causes significantly. Yes, meth labs smell bad but a decent ventilation system can mitigate this. My point is, if it's possible to have a lab in a Georgetown dorm room, it's definitely a possibility here.
Trinidad Guy,
I think in a situation like this, it is probably best to wait for a cause of fire conclusion from the investigators.
It's important that we bear in mind that this explosion fire/is a horrible tragedy. It has claimed the life of one man, and multiple animals. We should be sensitive to that, and take care not to inadvertently compound the pain of the survivors & their loved ones by airing baseless speculations that any of the victims were engaged in criminal activity.
given the Gas company was out the day before on a gas leak, i'm going to say it was likely a gas leak next door. this kind of thing gets built up, especially in wall spaces, or in basements, and one little spark and that's it.
Toby the cat mourns for a man who was kind to alley cats.
was the gas company working the day of the explosion? gas smells, how could anyone not notice it?
No gas. It was an all electric building.
As for the meth lab theory. Seems like the FBI and AFT experts would have detected those chemicals by now. Nice of you to impeach someone's character like that Trinidad guy. I hope that someone returns the favor.
given there was construction next door it could have been spilled solvents, a cracked gas piple,
a defective furnace,,,,
Why was he there? What was he doing?
According to all reports, he LIVED there.
He could have been working from home, taken the day off, or had the day off due to an alternative/flexible work schedule.
Good to know that if I'm in my own home and something bad happens, some people will immediately assume I was up to no good because "I should have been at work," or something.
Man, "trinidad guy" is a real piece of work.
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/2-Alarm-House-Fire-Reported-in-NE-DC-261876101.html
"Neighbors say someone complained of a gas odor about 2 weeks prior to the accident and crews immediately made repairs."
I'd guess the repairs were inadequate.
what was the dog doing there in the middle of the day? seems kind of suspicious to me.
Thoughts and prayers for Chris' family, friends, and neighbors.
Police confirmation that body was Chris: Police identify man who died when building collapsed in explosion and fire
Still nothing on the cause of the explosion.
Cause has been determined to be arson. Hopefully we find out the why and maybe even the who.
7:41,
Do you have a link?
It was reported in one daily crime reports last week, and it shows up on the crime map. Sorry that I can't retrieve the crime report to give you a case number.
Just some the record is Straight Washington Gas was on top of things from the very moments the call came in to DC Fire. No gas leaks were found none. Its a arson case that is still being looked at and everyone jumped right up to say Washington Gas. I can also tell you first hand that the leak they came out on the day before was for a meter that had a Lock on it already turnoff. Neighbor and friend you will be missed. RIP .
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