A man who once lived at the unlicensed rental home where a man and a 9-year-old boy died in a fire says there were similar conditions at the building when his family lived there.
The fire broke out on Aug. 18 at a rowhouse on Kennedy Street NW. First responders were hampered in their efforts to reach the screaming victims trapped inside the house because of the illegal conditions, including a locked gate inside the house that firefighters had to cut through.
More than a dozen people lived at the house at the time of the fire.
Building inspectors found multiple code violations, including bars on doors, not enough exits, no working smoke detectors, no sprinkler system and inadequate lighting.
A man who did not want to be identified told News4 the conditions when his family lived there nine years ago were not much different.
"It was horrible, like, I had to open up one of these just make a make-shift window just to get ventilation inside. That's how bad it was. The windows were broken, walls were crackling," he said. "The water would sometimes go out. You couldn’t wash dishes or get water for food if you were taking a shower."
He recalled that one night there was a car fire behind the house right outside their back door. He says his family was trapped inside.
He's grateful his family moved out when they did.
"Thank God it wasn’t us. I mean, it's unfortunate what happened, but thank God it wasn’t us," he said.
D.C. police officers returned to the scene of a fatal fire to secure it after drugs, including powerful controlled narcotics, were found in the debris.
News4 found pharmaceutical bottles filled with pills and loose pills strewn about the debris on the ground behind the house. The drugs included hydrocodone, an opioid; diazepam, a controlled narcotic; and antipsychotics.
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The man said when he lived at the building the owner, who is a licensed pharmacist, stored drugs in the house.
"I never knew what kind of drugs they would have been, but after seeing the report I was like, 'Wow.'"
The fire is being investigated by federal and local agencies. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser asked prosecutors to look at the possibility of criminal charges against the owner.
The house was registered as a pharmacy. It was not licensed for any type of residential use, according to D.C.'s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA).
The building was divided up into dozens of tiny living spaces, sources told News4.
“There is no amount of cheap housing that’s worth a losing a child,” Bowser said.
A second home in Northwest D.C. that public records show is owned by the same person has multiple no trespassing signs posted in the windows. It is listed as a pharmaceutical outlet as well.
Authorities have yet to determine an official cause of the fire.
DCRA says landlords are required to provide the following for residents:
- Interconnected smoking alarms on every level and inside each sleeping area
- At least one working fire extinguisher
- Carbon monoxide detector
- Exits, including doors and windows, that can be opened from the inside without the need for keys or any special knowledge or effort
- Electrical outlets, switches and fixtures that work properly
- For high rise buildings, a fire safety evacuation plan, along with fire drills at least once every year
- At least one exterior emergency escape for every sleeping room below the fourth floor
Residents can call DCRA at 202-442-9557 to report issues.
