A 74-year-old American man was found alive in Washington after several days of fire

A 74-year-old man was found alive and in good spirits five days after the fire at his Washington DC assisted living complex.

The workers found him in his apartment Monday morning, where he was reportedly trapped since Wednesday.

According to Mayor Muriel Bowser, more than 100 elderly people were evacuated, but it was thought that everyone had been found.

She said that the man had been taken to hospital for injuries that did not put his life in danger.

The workers checked the structural integrity of the building, which had collapsed in places, when they heard the man screaming.

"He had a sense of humor," Allyn Kilsheimer, an engineer, told reporters. "When I said," We are coming to pick you up, "he said," I will not go anywhere. "

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They then forced the door of the man's apartment to find him sitting on his couch, officials said.

Mayor Bowser said, "The workers helped him in a chair and out of the building." He was not named.

Fire officials believe that last week's fire broke out in the attic of the Arthur Capper Senior Center.

Ten people were injured and a huge plume of black smoke was sent up.

Residents complained that they had not heard any alarms after the start of the fire. Instead, US residents were alerted by US Marines and their neighbors who knocked on their door.

Bruce DarConte was one of those neighbors, and he told local media, "When we saw the fire alarms, we were shooting them – nothing. So, we continued. It did not allow us to stay there.

Mayor Bowser said that an investigation is underway to determine how the man was missed by the two firefighters who carried out searches in the building and a management company.

"We are re-checking to ensure that [all residents] are accounted for, "she said.

Firefighters are also investigating reports that building fire alarms were not working.