WASHINGTON — On Tuesday morning at around 4 a.m., DC Fire and EMS were called to a fire in the 700 block of Rittenhouse St NW. When they arrived, they found MPD (Metropolitan Police Department) officers had saved two elderly residents from a fire.
In tweets, DC Fire and EMS said they were called to a working fire at the 700 block of Rittenhouse Street NW, and arriving firefighters found fire on the first floor of a two-story row house.
The fire had been knocked down and two residents were being treated on scene for what were confirmed to be non-life-threatening injuries after being transported to the hospital.
DC Fire and EMS stated that the fire was confined to the first-floor kitchen and was put out quickly. The residents did have working smoke detectors.
What you didn't see is the bodycam footage of the MPD officers who risked their lives to save these residents.
In the video you can see the officers arriving on scene to smoke coming from the house. You can hear the officer say, “I see smoke."
The officer then begins to walk toward the home and asks if anyone is in inside the home, saying "Sir.....Sir” as smoke detectors go off and the house is filled with smoke. The officer enters the house to people screaming for help.
The officer states that “Sir, I can’t see” the following exchange occurs on video:
“Help me out please!”
“Where are you?”
“Right here help me out please, help him”
The officer is eventually able to find the two people inside the home and take them to safety.
Both of the residents were taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries not thought to be life threatening.
Fire department investigators are still working to determine the cause of the fire.
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