Working Fire 500 block Shepard St NW. Heavy fire 2nd floor and attic 2 story row house. Significant clutter conditions hindering fire attack. No injuries reported. pic.twitter.com/60ERDQjJ9F
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) March 3, 2021
A house fire in the Petworth neighborhood of Northwest D.C. displaced 13 people from three homes, sent a firefighter to the hospital and caused road closures Wednesday morning. D.C. Fire and EMS responded shortly after 5 a.m. to a blazing fire at a row house in the 500 block of Shepherd Street NW. Northbound New Hampshire Avenue between Randolph and Taylor streets and Shephard Street between 7th Street and New Hampshire Avenue have been reopened, and officials report the fire is now under control. This is the second time fire crews have responded to the same house in the 500 block of Shepherd Street NW, and an investigation is underway. Initial findings indicates there appeared to be no smoke alarms in the home. Fire officials via Twitter reported heavy fire conditions and significant clutter in the home, making it difficult for fire crews to knock out the fire. Heavy damage was reported in the attic and on the second floor.
Update 2 Alarm Fire 500 block Shepherd St NW. #DCsBravest have knocked down fire despite heavy fire conditions & significant clutter. Fire has been prevented from spreading to adjacent houses. No injuries reported. Still hitting hotspots. pic.twitter.com/k2gSjpy3z2
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) March 3, 2021
Investigators have not yet said what the cause of the two-alarm Petworth fire was. In recent weeks, the D.C. region has seen a spike in fires, several of which have been deadly. One of those fires in Montgomery County turned out to be deadly and involved a significant amount of clutter. WTOP’s Acacia James contributed to this report.