District of Columbia Releases Partial Timeline of Smoke Condition That Left One Dead
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Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Three days after a smoke incident caused an evacuation and led to the death of a 61-year-old woman, the District of Columbia has released a partial timeline of what happened that day.
According to the district, the first reports of smoke came from about a mile away from L’Enfant Station, where the death occurred, and many of the first fire units dispatched were sent there. Eight minutes later, reports of heavy smoke within L’Enfant station were received, and it wasn’t until about 19 minutes after the first call that a caller from the train reported smoke.
Twenty-four minutes after the train passenger reported smoke, fire crews reported the female passenger being given CPR. An additional 16 minutes later — an hour after the first call of heavy smoke in L’Enfant station — the woman was transported from the station to a hospital.
It’s not clear how long it took firefighters to get to the train once they were assured that the power was off.
At least one passenger intends to file a lawsuit saying that he was unable to send text messages from the train and that Metro workers had communication issues while trying to contact their bosses.
The District of Columbia notes that fire crews were initially sent to three different locations, based on the early calls. The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority says an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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