A Washington DC affordable housing facility, home to 190 elderly residents, dramatically burst into flames in September 2018. While officials initially believed they had evacuated all tenants, they realized five days after the blaze that one unit hadn’t been evacuated when the fire broke out.
In 2007, construction finished on the Arthur Capper Senior Apartments, touted as one of Washington DC’s most sought-after living facilities of its kind. Residents could choose between one and two-bedroom apartments, all situated within easy reach of the city center.
The building’s updated appearance was part of a greater plan to revitalize the neighborhood of Navy Yard, where the senior center stood. In the years that followed, the public housing facility was well-maintained, according to redevelopers Urban Atlantic. In September 2018, Urban Atlantic President Vicki Davis told Fox 5 DC, for example, that the apartments had passed a recent inspection with flying colors.
However, residents of Arthur Capper’s Senior Apartments found themselves in the middle of an emergency in late September 2018 when a fire ignited in the building’s attic. Some later said they didn’t hear any alarm bells, but concerned neighbors began beating on doors, alerting those inside to evacuate.
Luckily, some locals were U.S. Marines with an outpost just 200 yards from the senior center. They quickly made their way over to help after construction workers alerted them that more people were inside the building. “We need to go get them,” one Marine told CBS News in September 2018.
Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Kale explained, “I don’t think there was really any thought to the rescue effort. It was just saying we need to get these people out of here before anything serious happens,” and the instincts just kicked in to go after that.
The Marines and around 100 firefighters escorted the elderly from their apartments. Some seniors were stuck on the fourth floor and had trouble evacuating on their own, so the Marines had to get creative. Captain Trey Gregory later told CBS News, “There were some paralyzed, some immobile people up there. We actually just picked people up as best we possibly could and then had the wheelchairs at the exit or right outside the building after we carried them down four flights.” Seniors also made their way out of the building via ladder and on foot. Fortunately, firefighters and Marines safely escorted all 190 residents to safety.
Or so they thought. Five days after the fire, crews sent to assess the damage discovered something shocking. While examining the facility post-blaze, they heard a man’s voice shouting from a second-floor apartment with its door damaged shut. The employees realized that someone was on the other side of the door. Structural engineer Alan Kilsheimer recalled, “When I said we’re coming to get you, the man in the apartment said I’m not going any place.” The man, Raymond Holton, 74, was a resident of Arthur Capper’s Senior Apartments. He had been in his apartment since the fire broke out.
With that discovery, the onsite crew’s task changed from structural assessment to resident rescue. They pushed their way through Holton’s door and found him in incredibly good shape, despite spending five days awaiting rescue. Holton even insisted that he had walked out of the building by himself after waiting for five days.
The building crew helped Holton move from the sofa to a kitchen chair as they awaited emergency services. Eventually, emergency responders carried him from his apartment.
The discovery of a forgotten tenant gave city officials pause. Mayor Muriel Bowser had announced that all of Arthur Capper’s residents had evacuated, so the city had to figure out how Holton had slipped through the cracks. Mayor Bowser explained that authorities would recheck to ensure all residents were accounted for.
Fortunately, Holton survived his ordeal, and despite being injured, only a handful of Arthur Capper residents were injured during the emergency. Everyone survived the fire. Although many lost their homes and possessions, Christopher Rodriguez, director of the city’s homeland security branch, assured the press that the plan was to ensure these residents were cared for.
