2 injured, 1 critical, in 'horrific' Columbia Heights apartment fire

WASHINGTON - Around 35 residents were torn from their homes in the early hours of New Year's Eve after a fire ripped through a Columbia Heights apartment complex. 

D.C. Fire and EMS responded to the two-alarm apartment fire in the 1400 block of Chapin St NW just before 1 a.m. on Tuesday. Two female victims were rescued by D.C. Fire and taken to local hospitals. According to officials, one is in serious condition and one is in critical condition. 

D.C. Fire and EMS rescued additional residents from the top floor fire using an aerial ladder. Over 100 firefighters responded to the fire, which involved the top floor and attic of the four-story apartment building. 

Buses have been requested to house some of the 35 residents displaced by the fire.

Lorena Marko lives right next door, and said she woke just as the fire department banged on her front door to evacuate her and her family. 

"Honestly I thought we were trapped, all I kept thinking was my son was going to die of smoke inhalation. It was horrific," said Marko. "The entire floor is gone. We just finished our house, all of our stuff is gone. This is insane, we were just supposed to stay home for New Year's, the three of us."