24 people were displaced from their apartment after a huge fire on the roof of an apartment building in Northwest D.C. sent a column of smoke into the air.
That smoke and some flames could be seen throughout the city on Friday afternoon, and video of the fire at the Avalon Condos at 2627 Adams Mill Road in Northwest D.C. spread quickly on social media.
Concerned people around the District called 911 to report the fire.
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"Aggressive firefighting" put out the flames just before 10:30 p.m., according to the D.C. Fire Department.
No one was injured in the blaze. The Red Cross said it is assisting displaced residents.
The damage caused to the building by the fire and by the water used to put it out is extensive, according to D.C. Fire.
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There are a total 28 units in the apartment building. All 24 people living in the building at the time of the fire are in need of housing due to the damage.
The fire department said it is still investigating what caused the fire.
One resident told News4 the roof deck had been a longstanding problem.
“Oh, it was falling apart. I mean anybody that walked up there could tell that the wood was coming apart. There were spots you could very easily drop your foot in accidentally if you weren’t careful,” Wyatt Element said.
News4 also obtained public records from December of last year that showed a unit in the condo building had received a construction permit for “roof membrane repairs.” It was not clear what the status of that project was on Friday.
The condo building’s management company said no one was available for comment.
It is not the first time flames have broken out at the Avalon Condos. In 2007, the D.C. fire department said another massive fire destroyed the entire top floor, and put first responders in danger.
“They found themselves trapped by fire below them, which they weren’t aware was there. And there were some really scary moments,” Vito Maggiolo, DC Fire and EMS spokesman, said of that fire.
Maggiolo added that thankfully, all the firefighters back in 2007 were able to escape safely. And once first responders put out the flames on Friday night, they made a surprising discovery.
“We found a plaque that commemorated the 2007 fire and thanked us for having saved the building,” he said. “They were thinking, wow, déjà vu all over again, as they say.”
