D.C. Fire and EMS crews were kept hard at work on Saturday evening responding to three fires in frigid temperatures in Northwest. In one instance, they even had to thaw a frozen hydrant with a road flare.
Firefighters first responded to a vacant building that caught fire on the 1300 block of Main Drive NW. The blaze sent a tower of smoke billowing into the air.
D.C. Fire and EMS said they responded with about 100 personnel and 20 units.
Flames were shooting out of the roof, and fire was found on the first floor in the center of the "vacant" structure, the fire department said.
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It's nights like this where a warm drink makes all the difference in the world.
D.C. Fire and EMS in a post on X thanking the volunteers at the Friendship Fire Association.
By 7:15 p.m., firefighters working in single-digit windchill had knocked down all fire on the first floor, D.C. Fire and EMS said on X.
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The department also thanked the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service for filling in at District firehouses in the meantime and "[operating] at other incidents in the city."
No injuries were reported, authorities said, and it was not immediately clear what caused the blaze.
Firefighters later responded to the 500 block of Columbia Road NW for a fire on the second floor of a two-story home.
Video of the scene showed a large smoke cloud above the house.
While firefighters were successful in knocking down flames on the second floor, D.C. Fire and EMS said they extended into the attic.
The department called their work "labor intensive," with crews working hard in single-digit windchill to fight the "hidden fire."
The 500 block of Columbia Road NW will be closed between Georgia Avenue and Warder Street overnight.
No injuries were reported.
At that scene, D.C. Fire and EMS said the Friendship Fire Association provided food and refreshments to the first responders working in "bitterly cold weather."
Not long after, crews responded to the 1600 block of Harvard Street NW for a small fire on the roof of a building under renovation.
Firefighters said they had to use a road flare to thaw a frozen hydrant.
That fire was extinguished. The department did not elaborate on a cause or potential injuries.
This is a developing story. Refresh for updates.
