DC Fire Emergency Medical Services (DC FEMS) fought two simultaneous fires on the Hill Tuesday, one in an H Street NE Building and the other an apartment on 11th Street SE. The two calls were received then minutes apart.
At 10:26 in the morning of June 27, fire services were called to a two alarm Fire at 1370 H St NE. DC Fire EMS said they found a considerable fire on arrival on the roof of a 3-story building; it had already started to spread to the adjacent structure. Aggressive firefighting efforts began to knock down the fire.
Extraordinary Efforts
“Extraordinary efforts by firefighters manning multiple hose lines quickly halted fire spread,” The Fire Department tweeted about an hour later. “[we’re] currently hitting small hotspots.”
One firefighter was transported to hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. The fire involved 20 units and 100 personnel, but no other injuries. Video from the scene showed a firefighter and woman corralling a dog on the street in front of the fire.
2 Alarm Fire 1300 block H St NE. Considerable fire on arrival roof 3 story building with some extension to adjacent structure. Aggressive firefighting efforts have knocked down the fire. Working to cut off any further extension. No injuries reported. #DCsBravest pic.twitter.com/qbFf8pgSlr
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) June 27, 2023
Ten minutes after the H Street call, there was another call to the 500 block of 11th St SE. Firefighters quickly knocked down a fire on a first floor 2-story apartment building, with no injuries.
Meanwhile, off the Hill, firefighters put out a kitchen fire on Ninth Street NW.
Mutual Aid
Firefighters said the simultaneous calls required additional assistance from within and without the District. “The two simultaneous incidents required approximately 30 units,” said DC FEMS Spokesperson Vito Maggiolo, “and that’s not to mention all the other routine activity throughout the city.”
Additional units from Fort McNair, Prince George County, Charles County and Montgomery County fire departments sent additional units to staff District fire stations as DCFEMS battled the two structural fires simultaneously. The DC Fire Training Devision was also activated, sending two engines to “backfill” fire stations and ensure that someone was on hand to respond to calls. “Mutual Aide in the DMV keeps us all strong,” DC Fire tweeted.
Maggiolo said that all fire departments in the DMV have a robust mutual aid agreement. “We call on each other whenever needed,” said the DC Fire spokesperson. “It is not unusual for DC to request station fill-ins when we have a two-alarm fire. We will request what we specifically need.”
Second Incident H Street
DC Fire was dispatched to a second incident on H Street NE at 4:07 p.m. Maggiolo said that involved the original building from the 10:26 a.m. call.
“This fire originated at the base of an air shaft between the building and an adjacent one,” Maggiolo said. “The theory is that some debris fell down in there and reignited, but it is the investigators who will make the final call on the cause,” he said.
Both fires are still under investigation.
