2 dead, 85-year-old woman in critical condition after fire engulfs Southeast DC home

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — DC Fire and EMS (DCFD) said two people have died, and a person is in critical condition after a fire broke out at a home in Southeast D.C. on Sunday morning.

At about 5:30 a.m., crews said they were dispatched to the 3400 block of 23rd St. for a fire in a two-story home.

First responders said they found three people inside the home while trying to put the fire out.

Crews said they first found an 85-year-old woman trapped, who they were able to rescue via a ladder.

She was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, where she remains in critical condition as of Sunday evening.

Crews also found a 34-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man both dead inside the home.

The DCFD posted on X that their “thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends.”

The investigation is ongoing, and the cause of the fire is still unknown, according to DCFD.

As a result of the deadly fire, crews from DCFD will return to the scene on Monday at 10 a.m. to provide fire safety material and to check and install free smoke alarms in homes in the neighborhood.

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