The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Washington, D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty says an 11-year-old boy critically injured in a fire that killed five people New Year’s Day is clinging to life.
The electrical fire began in the basement ceiling and raced through the two-story home in northeast Washington. The blaze killed a 5-year-old girl, her parents and two others.
The mayor says it was the deadliest fire in Washington in three decades.
Fire officials say the house was built in the 1940s or 1950s, and the style of its construction was meant to allow heat to pass easily from room to room. The design also allowed the fire to travel rapidly through the structure.
The home had smoke detectors, but it’s not clear if they were working.