Photos from a Metro passenger show firefighters didn't arrive to save dozens of people in distress until about an hour after smoke entered the train.
More than 80 people were injured and one person died Monday afternoon when a Yellow Line train stopped in the tunnel at L'Enfant Plaza Metro station, filling the train with thick, black smoke.
One of those passengers, Jonathan Rogers, recorded video and took photos of the incident with his phone.
(2/5) #WAMATA #Lenfant 1st smoke pic - minutes after smoke started @FixMetro @unsuckdcmetro @MartinDiCaro @loriara pic.twitter.com/GXVHUD8MKG
— Jonathan Rogers (@JRogers202) January 15, 2015
According to the time stamps on his phone, the first plumes of smoke entered the train at 3:20 p.m. and it's not until one hour later that Rogers reported seeing a firefighter enter the train, at 4:20 p.m.
(4/5) #WAMATA #Lenfant 3rd pic - first time I see fire fighters @FixMetro @unsuckdcmetro @MartinDiCaro @loriara pic.twitter.com/TpXHYuVkgv
— Jonathan Rogers (@JRogers202) January 15, 2015
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser admitted there was an unknown communication issue between first responders on the scene, so it's unclear why exactly it took firefighters an hour to help rescue passengers.
Rogers and several other riders attempted to save Carol Glover, who collapsed to the ground and was unconscious. Glover was later pronounced dead.
"We know you do chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth, so that's what we did," Rogers said. "Nothing was happening, and she was laying there unconscious. Somebody took her pulse and said they couldn't feel a pulse."
