Someone purposely sparked a fire that destroyed a Southeast D.C. home and displaced a family early Sunday morning, fire officials say.
DC Fire and EMS crews were called to 3900 block of Wheeler Road SE about 3 a.m. and found massive flames tearing through the front and roof of the home. The family inside managed to make it out OK, fire officials said.
The fire spread to neighboring houses before fire crews could put it out. One house nextdoor suffered radiant heat damage while the other had a fire in the attic, which was quickly extinguished. No one was hurt.
The American Red Cross in the National Capital Region was called in to help the adults and children displaced by the fire. One firefighter was injured while battling the blaze.
An accelerant sniffing dog was brought in to help with the fire investigation. Fire investigators believe something was used on the front porch of the home to start the fire.
