WASHINGTON — A viewer sent us photos through the Near Me section of our free WUSA9 app that show a home on its last leg. The blighted building is not just an eyesore – neighbors said it poses dangers to the community.
Chris Hudson-Boyd and his neighbors in Petworth told WUSA9 after years of complaining, District leaders finally responded to their neighbor’s home in the 4400 block of New Hampshire Avenue, Northwest after a massive gas leak that they said could have taken the whole block out.
“We could smell gas in the house,” Hudson-Boyd recalled, “so I went next door to warn the neighbors and their gas meter was just like spinning out of control, as if there was like a large amount of gas being used and you could hear this hissing noise.”
“It was told to us by the fire inspector that it could have been a catastrophe,” added neighbor and former Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Paul Johnson.
It was Feb. 17. The Fire Marshal evacuated the elderly residents inside the row home, boarded it up, and labeled it a "danger to firefighters" due to "unsafe conditions.” The Department of Buildings (DOB) followed up a week later deeming the building a blighted property. But neighbors said signs offer little comfort, they still fear the home with its windows falling out of their frames and gaping holes in the roof can collapse at any minute.
“There's other structural debris that keeps falling from the house into my yard,” said Hudson-Boyd, “it almost looks as though it's about to collapse or implode.”
Hudson-Boyd lives next door. His home caught fire March 7, 2020. As he rebuilt, he became more worried about the deteriorating building next door. He called WUSA9 for help.
“My senses as far as like safety were a little bit more heightened, because obviously, I want to avoid this happening again,” he said.
"I think it's example of vulnerable people in this community need attention and intervention and need to be prioritized by our Ward 4 and District leaders,” said Johnson.
WUSA9 tried reaching out to the owners but could not get through. Neighbors said the Red Cross helped relocate the two elderly men. WUSA9 did learn the owners owe over $13,000 in property taxes. DOB will issue more fines now that the home is deemed a blighted property. But residents said more than signs and fees, DOB needs to step in and keep neighbors safe. WUSA9 contacted DOB. We are still waiting to hear back.
Johnson wondered if the split of the former Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) and now the resignation of the Acting DOB Director Ernest Chrappah contributed to the failure to address their repeated concerns. “We've fallen down a little bit in coordination of multiple department and agencies taking responsibly,” he said.
“What I'm asking the city to do is just stabilize the property,” said Hudson-Boyd. “There needs to be some proactive measure done before something bad happens and it really looks like it’s on the way to it.”