A gas explosion on Marion Barry Avenue SE destroyed a convenience store Thursday morning, causing minor injuries to one person hit with flying debris and requiring the rapid evacuation of over a dozen toddlers at the day care next door, along with dozens of people working in buildings nearby.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 3:45 p.m., Fire Chief John Donnelly said at an afternoon press briefing. Efforts to clear the debris along the block would continue into the night, he explained.
“[The explosion] was just like the movies,” said Andre Campbell, a Department of Housing employee who was evacuated from a building across the street from the explosion. “It was terrifying to see it.”
Shortly after receiving a report of a gas leak at about 9:30 a.m., first responders arrived on the scene and, determining that the leak could not be fixed, began evacuating everyone immediately. Donnelly said that day care workers, having smelled the gas, quickly buckled the 16 children, aged 2 and 3, into jackets and strollers.
Less than 30 minutes after the initial call, an explosion knocked out the windows and started a fire in the upper story of the building where Baby Einstein Child Development Center is located, Donnelly told press earlier in the day. A second blast leveled the adjacent building, which housed Dan Akil Convenience Store.
The gas leak appears to have been caused by a car crashing into a gas meter outside the building, Donnelly said.
After evacuating from work at about 9:45 a.m., Campbell returned to his home nearby to see that his own gas utility had not yet been affected. Then he grabbed a coat and came back to watch the raging fire and unfolding emergency response for several hours.
The fire could not be put out until the gas was turned off, D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Vito Maggiolo told The Informer. Washington Gas cut off the gas at about 12:50 p.m., Donnelly said later.
Washington Gas declined to respond to specific questions about why it took more than three hours to turn off the gas in the area around the leak.
“The safety of our customers and community is our top priority,” the company said at about 3 p.m. in an emailed statement. “We are supporting the active response to the incident and do not have further details to share at this time.”
Some environmental and public health advocates have long pointed out that the widespread use of methane gas in homes and businesses poses dangers — including explosions, toxic leaks and harmful indoor air pollution. Washington Gas is currently in the middle of a multibillion-dollar, 40-year initiative to replace all of D.C.’s gas pipes, but critics have argued that the expensive project does not prioritize fixing leaks and will make it more difficult for the city to switch to clean energy in the future.
“Gas explosions like the one in Southeast D.C. today are terrifying because of the harm they cause and because they could have been prevented if our utilities cared about people instead of profit,” said Marie Therese Kane, an organizer with We Power DC, in a press release. “The DC Public Service Commission allowed Washington Gas to invest millions of ratepayer dollars over the last decade into Project Pipes despite knowing the project was inefficient and failed to adequately address the most dangerous leaks.”
What Next?
Many of the businesses around the explosion site and some residences nearby did not have gas service, and some had lost power, D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency interim Director Clint Osborn told members of the press at the late afternoon briefing.
Osborn said it was not yet clear just how many people had lost power or gas, and he encouraged any households experiencing related issues to report the problems to 311 so that HSEMA could help. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing Thursday night and Friday. Osborn said returning utility services to all affected customers, and finding short-term places to stay for nearby residents left without heat, were top priorities for HSEMA.
Different businesses on the block face varying degrees of damage, but the day care — as one of the most affected buildings — could take months to safely return, Donnelly told members of the press. In the meantime, Donnelly said, arrangements are being made to find the children spots at other care centers.
At the Busboys and Poets location around the corner, about a dozen people came in throughout the evening to sit around the bar and order drinks — but the restaurant couldn’t offer any food without gas service.
“Can I just get a salad?” one customer jokingly asked the bartender, who shook her head.
Campbell said he and his coworkers visited the now-collapsed convenience store “almost every day” to pick up small snacks and sports drinks.
“The gentleman who worked there is a great guy, he did a great job,” Campbell said. “He took care of the neighborhood.”
Darrell Gatson, owner and chef at the nearby Kitchen Savages, echoed that sentiment and said he wanted to see the store return once the building was safe. His restaurant also lost gas service Thursday.
“The convenience store owner is someone who has done a lot for the community,” Gatson said. “So hopefully they build back stronger, and we kind of figure out how to pick up the pieces and get things going tomorrow.”
Ja’mon Jackson contributed to this story.