Two people were killed in a two-alarm apartment fire in southeast D.C. Tuesday morning, authorities have confirmed.
Firefighters arrived to find the building at 1704 R St. SE fully engulfed in flames and were forced to retreat when the fire became too intense and spread to the two adjacent buildings.
It took 75 firefighters to extinguish the blaze, which was put out shortly after 11 a.m.
When firefighters re-entered the building, they found the bodies of two people inside. They appear to be squatters, News4's Pat Collins reported. Their identities have not yet been released.
Authorities said it was unclear whether anyone was living in the the adjacent buildings. The building where the fire began was partially vacant.
One firefighter suffered a possible broken ankle, authorities said. Another sustained an injury to the shoulder, according to the Twitter feed of Firefighters Local 36, a firefighters union.
Stay with NBCWashington.com and News4 for more as the story develops.
