Man, 74, found alive in a high-ranking fire-damaged complex

A 74-year-old man was found alive Monday in a senior housing complex that burned in southeastern Washington last week and forced the evacuation of more than 100 occupants, according to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser.

The man was taken to a hospital in the area with injuries deemed non-fatal, officials said. Bower (D) stated that the man had been found by teams engaged by the owner to ensure the structural integrity of the building. Fire investigators have not yet been able to enter the Arthur Capper Seniors Social Housing Complex near the Navy Yard in the southeastern part of the country.

An engineer said at a press conference Monday that the man had shouted when he had heard people in front of his second floor apartment. Crews opened his door and the mayor said he was found sitting on a sofa, in a good mood.

The authorities believe the man has been trapped inside his apartment since Wednesday's fire, Bowser said. One official stated that he was in an area that had not been seriously affected by a fire. The resort is located in block 900 of Fifth Street SE.

The discovery shocked district officials after what had been described as the successful evacuations of about 132 elderly people in the form of fire for hours on the roof and on the upper floor. Firefighters, police officers, marines from a nearby base and passers-by rushed inside to help the residents secure themselves, some of them being transported on ladders.

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. Firefighters enter the building with dogs to redo the search.

Fire Chief Bowser and Gregory M. Dean said Thursday that all residents were taken into account and survived.

Bowser said Monday that the initial lists of residents provided by the owners and the management company of the complex "did not match" with the actual occupants of the building.

The mayor said officials were trying to sort out some confusing reports. In one of them, she said, representatives of the building's owners told the fire department that the 74-year-old man was not on a list of tenants. She added that city officials had also informed firefighters that the man "was on a list and was taken into account".

Laura Zelinger, director of the DC's Human Resources Department, said the management company had said Monday at her office that she "had not seen her personally."

The mayor also implored the residents of the building, those who stayed in housing provided by the city and those living with relatives, to contact the city officials "so that we know exactly where you are.

[Marines rescue residents as senior center burns]

The fire that erupted around 3:20 pm Wednesday started on the roof and burned until Thursday when it was put under control.

Several people were hospitalized for minor injuries. The apartment complex is managed by private operators and has 162 units of one or two bedrooms. All are affordable housing. Some residents stated that the sprinkler system and smoke detectors were not fully activated.