The high-rise fire in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street NW prompted a major emergency response.
People setting off illegal fireworks started a fire Tuesday at a high-rise apartment building where many seniors live, officials say. Two people were taken to a hospital with injuries.
An illegal Roman candle landed on a fifth-floor balcony in the 1100 block of North Capitol Street, in the NoMa area, on Tuesday evening, D.C. Fire and EMS said. The firework landed on debris on the balcony and set it ablaze, putting dozens of seniors at risk.
Two people were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening. Others were evaluated on the scene for injuries and released.
Photos show firefighters helping seniors using wheelchairs.
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“Our investigators determined that there were some people out back playing with fireworks,” Fire Marshal Mitchell Kannry said.
Many types of fireworks are illegal in D.C., including “firecrackers or fireworks that explode, such as cherry bombs, salutes, Roman candles, floral shells and artillery shells,” the fire department’s website says.
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Fireworks of all kinds can be dangerous, especially for children. A man died last July after suffering severe trauma caused by fireworks he was setting off, officials said. Every year around July 4, people using fireworks receive serious injuries.
“We just want people to be smart and not wind up in the hospital for Fourth of July,” Kannry said.
To report illegal fireworks, email fireworks.fems@dc.gov.
