The DC community is rallying to support an affordable day care that was severely damaged by last week’s explosion in Southeast DC, leaving some families in a lurch.
A convenience store next to the Baby Einstein Child Development Center was destroyed on Thursday, Jan. 18 when a gas leak led to a tricky fire in the 1200 block of Marion Barry Avenue SE, prompting a lengthy battle that took hours to get under control.
Few injuries were reported – due in no small part to firefighters’ proactive efforts to evacuate nearby buildings, as well by efforts by staff at the day care center – though there was collateral damage to the neighboring structures.
On the day of the fateful explosion, employees at the day care smelled the gas as it was leaking and leapt into action, getting the kids dressed in warm clothes and evacuated a mere 15 minutes before what could have been a life-threatening explosion that leveled one building and damaged several others.
“Everyone is safe,” DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly, Sr. said at the time. “We evacuated (the day care) right away and 16 children are safe and reunited with their families.