“I thought they’d forgotten about me. I didn’t know about no fire.”
On September 19th, disaster struck at a senior citizen apartment complex in Washington DC.
A fire broke out at the Arthur Capper Senior Public Housing complex, and the blaze tore through the four-storey building. Firefighters, Marines from a local barracks and passers-by all helped rescue residents from the inferno.
Officials said the help of the Marines probably saved many lives.
However, five days later, a 74-year-old man was found trapped in his apartment, sat on his sofa.
NEW: family says this is Raymond Holton, 74, who survived being trapped in DC senior center for 5 days after fire! Just talked to his niece who had no idea it was her uncle until she saw our story at 11! pic.twitter.com/S6hsPcULv1
— Lindsay Watts (@LindsayAWatts) September 25, 2018
Police used a crowbar to pry open the door of Raymond Holton’s flat, where he had remained throughout the fire. He was only found after engineers inspecting the structural integrity of the building heard him shouting.
Holton had no serious injuries, and was sent to George Washington University Hospital.
“I wasn’t scared. I be here by myself anyway,” Holton told The Washington Post from hospital. “I thought they forgot about me. I didn’t know about no fire.”
According to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser and Fire Chief Gregory M. Dean, the building’s management company had provided a report saying that all the complex’s residents were safe. Due to concerns about the building collapsing, and believing everyone was accounted for, the decision was made not to send in any more firefighters and put their lives in potential danger.
“The building was considered unstable, and we weren’t missing anybody,” Fire Chief Dean said.
