Woman Dies, Teen Is Injured in Fire

A District woman was killed and a 14-year-old boy was critically injured yesterday morning after a fire erupted in a rowhouse on North Capitol Street NW. It was the most serious of three blazes that had firefighters crisscrossing the District during the morning rush period, snarling traffic with their emergency equipment just hours after late-night inauguration parties had wrapped up.

D.C. fire department spokesman Alan Etter said the blaze in the 2200 block of North Capitol Street was reported at 7:21 a.m. When firefighters searching the house for trapped people found the woman, she was dead, Etter said.

They rescued the teenager, who was not breathing, and revived him by administering CPR.

The youth was admitted to Children's National Medical Center.

An elderly man escaped from the burning house before firefighters arrived, Etter said. He was treated for smoke inhalation, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

The victims' names and other information were not immediately available.

Shortly after the house fire was reported, firefighters responded to a blaze about six blocks south in the unit block of Randolph Place NW. They quickly extinguished that fire, which was confined to the attic and roof area, Etter said. No one was injured.

Crews also were sent to the Giant supermarket at Eighth and O streets NW in Shaw for a fire in the building ducts. No injuries were reported, and the blaze was contained and extinguished.

In the North Capitol Street fire, three firefighters required medical treatment, Etter said. One suffered a broken ankle, one suffered chest pains and the third had elevated blood pressure.

City transportation officials closed North Capitol Street in both directions from Adams Street south to Rhode Island Avenue for several hours, but the street, a major community artery, was reopened in time for the evening rush period.