A father was forced to drop his toddler out of a second-story window to save him from a fire in Southeast. Officials believe that fire was intentionally set.
WASHINGTON — DC Fire and EMS say a father was forced to toss his 2-year-old toddler out of a second-floor window when a fire sparked inside a building in Southeast. Now, DC Fire has declared that fire to be “incendiary in nature,” meaning the fire may have been intentionally set.
Just before 10 p.m. Sunday, D.C. Fire crews were called to the 700 block of Alabama Ave, Southeast.
When first-responders arrived, smoke could be seen coming from the top floor of a two-story apartment building. Investigators believe the fire was set in the hallway of the first floor, cutting off escape for any residents in the building.
According to DC Fire, a father was forced to toss his toddler out of a second-story window to escape the smoke. Crews say he was hanging out the window and calling for someone to catch his child.
Luckily Jared McKinney, a wagon driver for Engine Co. 25 was standing outside. The unidentified man tossed the child, who was caught by McKinney uninjured.
After about 10 minutes of trying to extinguish this fire, crews say they were able to put the fire out on the first floor and rescue multiple residents from the building.
DC Fire and EMS say seven people who lived in the building were evaluated by first responders but did not require transportation to a local hospital. Two adults and a child were brought safely down a fire ladder.
No injuries were reported.
Officials have not released any information on who they believe may have started the fire.