911 Callers Put On Hold

(Washington, DC) — Several people saw the flames Friday night but some of the 911 calls were put on hold. DC Fire spokesman Pete Piringer says the fire on Buena Vista Terrace in Southeast, near the Maryland border, was apparently electrical and started behind a living room couch. Four-year-old Allyaen [[ Allen ]] Alexander was killed and several others, including a firefighter, were injured. Saturday night, friends and family members held a candlelight vigil in memory of the little boy. Piringer tells the “Washington Post” it looks like the apartment’s smoke alarms were working but that there was a delay in calling for help. He confirms some emergency calls were routed to Prince George’s where operators put people on hold while transferring to the county fire department, leading some to hang up.

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