Several rescued over ladders
By Erica Jones, NBC Washington
Firefighters in Alexandria rescued several people after a fire broke out at a high-rise apartment building early Monday morning.
The fire started just after 2 a.m. on the 5000 block of Holmes Run Parkway. When firefighters arrived, some residents had evacuated on their own, but several people had to be rescued via ladder.
Harriet Welch, who lives in the building, says the hallway was so smoky when she was evacuating, she couldn’t even see.
“It was smoke everywhere, just smoke everywhere. There were no lights. I used my phone’s flashlight, and I made it out,” Welch said.
Several people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. Fire officials say three people were taken to the hospital.
The fire has been extinguished, and residents who live above the fifth floor have been allowed back in side the building.
Fire officials say the fire appears to have started on the second floor, but the cause of the fire is under investigation at this time.
