It happened in the basement of the two-story home just before 2:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Lamont Street.

D.C. Fire and EMS said the fire was contained to just the basement. One firefighter was hurt and was taken to the hospital, but is expected to be OK.

However, two adults and one child have been displaced. that the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region of the American Red Cross were informed to assist them.

Below is a map of the area where the house fire took place:

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They were rescued by dozens of first responders who shoveled frantically to get them out.

Personnel with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service and Montgomery County police dug out the men, who were performing construction work at a house along Kentbury Drive near Newdale Road, not far from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.

The trench collapsed around noon.

Update – Kentbury Dr, dirt cave in/trench rescue, two workers partially buried by dirt, technical rescue team & equipment and EMS on scene, Kentbury Dr closed to traffic

— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO)

One worker was buried up to his waist and taken to the hospital after he was rescued just after 1 p.m.; the other was buried in dirt over his head and flown to the hospital via helicopter after he was rescued shortly after 2 p.m., fire department spokesman Pete Piringer told ������Ƶapp.

Piringer said the men will be treated for compression-related injuries and possibly internal injuries and circulation issues.

They were working inside a trench that was 2- to 3-feet wide and 10- to 12-feet deep, Piringer said, and other workers at the site next to a large house called for help when the trench caved in.

About 60 members of the fire department responded to the scene, and many could be seen gathered around the trench with shovels in video Piringer posted to X.

Kentbury Drive was closed to traffic while the rescue operation played out.

Below is a map of the area where the trench collapse occurred.

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Emily Bhatnagar’s world was turned upside down after learning about her father Mike Bhatnagar’s cancer diagnosis.

“He’s my best friend, so it was really painful to see,” she said.

The then 15-year-old was attending Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Maryland, when her father was diagnosed with Stage 4 thyroid cancer.

“It came as a shock to everyone because he was the guy who literally never got sick. He was like, the healthiest person ever, not even like a cough a year, I swear,” Emily said.

Once he started going through cancer treatments, reality set in for the high schooler. Emily’s physical and mental health began to take a serious toll, and she described it as the darkest time she’s ever experienced.

When she was 17, she decided she needed to take action.

“Maybe if I channel this pain into something else, it might help both me and someone who’s really struggling,” Emily said.

That’s when the idea for , a nonprofit book drive for children with cancer, was born.

She wrote a message on NextDoor, an app that allows local communities to easily connect, asking for book donations.

“I was expecting like maybe a few responses, but my phone was blowing up with people who wanted to donate books and were in the area. So I spent that summer like practically going house to house picking up books and from there, I cleaned them and donated them and when it started picking up, I was able to create an Amazon wish list, which is how most people donate books now,” Emily said.

For Love & Buttercup was named after the buttercup flower, which she described as “teeny” and “wholesome.”

“That is the feeling I sort of wanted these kids to feel for just a teeny bit when they open the brand new book. Just that pure, joyful, youthful innocence where they can just be free and like, be young and I thought For Love & Buttercup captured that beautifully,” Emily said.

Over the course of more than four years, Emily has donated 25,000 books to various hospitals in the D.C. area, including MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, where her father receives treatment, Children’s National and Holy Cross. She has also donated to hospitals in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

“It’s truly my dream job,” Emily said.

Courtesy Jan Galvan

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Emily’s father, Mike, said the book drive has been fulfilling, particularly when he joins his daughter to deliver books.

“It keeps her busy. It keeps her out of my hair,” Mike said with a laugh. “She’s turning out to be a more responsible person and she spends a lot of time in it even though she has to do a lot of homework for college. She’s doing a great job.”

Now, Emily is 21 years old and doing a remote program at the University of Pennsylvania so she can take care of her father. While Mike’s battle with cancer is ongoing, she said he’s in great spirits.

“He’s the cheeriest person ever and he’s been doing really well,” Bhatnagar said.

Why books?

As a child, Bhatnagar was very shy. She would often find herself hiding behind big picture books in class in an attempt to not be seen.

“But I think at one point or another I started actually reading the pages inside these books and I was just so fascinated,” she said. “From there, books and I were inseparable practically. They were my comfort during everything, during the times I was too shy to speak in class and later as a teenager during my dad’s battle with cancer.”

She added that her childhood was really lonely at times, so she’s always had a soft spot for children.

“Meeting the kids is my absolute favorite,” Emily said.

How you can donate

You can send Bhatnagar a direct message on Instagram if you have a gently used book you’d like to donate. Her account is @forloveandbuttercup.

Another way to donate is that’s linked in her Instagram biography. Those books are brand new and are good for children who are at high risk for infection.

Or, if you’re feeling hungry, you can donate books at Emily’s parents’ bread shop, Monsoon Kitchens in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Books for all age ranges are acceptable, from baby board books to novels.

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It happened around 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Savannah and 22nd Streets.

Officials with D.C. Fire and EMS said the blaze was contained to the first floor of a three-story apartment building.

Firefighters went into the burning apartment and found the victim, but he died at the scene.

No one else in the building was hurt or displaced.

A preliminary investigation revealed that the fire was accidental and smoking-related, according to fire officials.

Below is a map of the area where the apartment fire took place:

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The shooting did not happen on school grounds, Prince George’s County police said in a post on X, and the lockdown has since been lifted.

The shooting happened around 2 p.m. near Powder Mill and Cherry Hill roads. One person was injured.

Police are still searching for the suspect.

Below is a map of the area where the shooting occurred.

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Prince George’s County police they were called to the grandmother’s home in the 500 block of Bonhill Drive for a welfare check at approximately 1:50 p.m. There, they found 81-year-old Helen Thomas suffering from stab wounds. She died inside the home. Police also found another family member stabbed. He is currently in critical but stable condition, police said.

Breante Thomas, 28, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, attempted first- and second-degree murder and other related charges.

Police said she was last seen fleeing the scene in a white 2012 Volkswagen Passat with Maryland tags 3FF3906.

The Prince George’s County Police Department is asking for the community’s assistance in finding Breante, and urging anyone with information on where she is to call 911.

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Chief Executive Officer for the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority Erik Johnson was fired Thursday, according to a statement from the ARHA Board of Commissioners.

Johnson was placed on probation last month after the housing authority learned he was living in one of its units. He was told to immediately leave the unit, a previous statement said.

Johnson told local news site  that he temporarily moved into a public housing unit in the Old Town neighborhood in July while transitioning residences. The  also reported the news of Johnson being placed on probation.

“There is a huge waiting list for these units, for people who qualify by virtue of income,” said Carter Flemming, a former board member. “So for somebody who’s the CEO of ARHA to take one of those units offline, that could have been given to somebody who really deserves and needs the housing, it’s just not right.”

In a multipage letter to the board, shared on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, Mayor Alyia Gaskins called for an investigation into Johnson’s actions and ARHA’s finances.

Flemming said in the early 2000s, there were allegations of housing staff moving friends up the line for affordable housing units. But, actions such as those “got cleaned up or stopped, if it ever happened,” she said.

“We were on a better footing, doing large redevelopment projects and building a good reputation, and this just destroyed that, basically,” Flemming said. “Because now, justifiably, the city council and all is asking a lot of questions about how this could have happened.”

The housing authority’s board, in its newest statement, said an independent investigation into Johnson’s actions remains ongoing and will help determine the board’s next steps.

In the meantime, Rickie Maddox will be serving as the acting CEO. She served as interim CEO prior to Johnson being chosen last year.

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But, journalists who have long been covering the region remember a much more dangerous time in the District.

The crack cocaine epidemic swept across D.C. in the late 1980s and early 1990s, causing homicide rates to spike and a nickname to stick: “murder capital of the U.S.” In 1985, there were 157 homicides in D.C. By 1991, that number more than tripled, with 509 homicides plaguing the city, conducted by the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

Three journalists who were in D.C. during the late 1980s to early 1990s reflected on what crime was like in the city, and how things compare today.

‘My neighbors robbed us during a party’

������Ƶapp Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller moved to D.C. in the late 1980s to go to graduate school, right at the height of the drug crisis. He reflected on the crime he personally experienced when he first got to the city.

“Not long after I moved into a rental home in Northeast, my neighbors robbed us during a party. Another day, I went to get a newspaper, a guy ran by me with a fistful of cash he had taken from a convenience store. I was so sick of the crime around me, I chased him a few blocks and he punched me in the face before the police pulled up and arrested him. So it was really bad,” Miller said.

He pointed out that while crime is nowhere near as bad as it was in the late ’80s and early ’90s, D.C. is still a major metropolitan city that experiences crime.

“In the Navy Yard area and during the height of the pandemic, I was the victim of an attempted carjacking on Capitol Hill involving two guys and another guy in a truck. Fortunately, they were unarmed and I was able to fight them off, and they didn’t get my car,” Miller said.

He added that many D.C. residents citywide have been saying for years that something needs to be done about crime.

But will the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime make an actual difference? “We’ll have to see,” Miller said.

‘Here we go again’

In the late 1980s, D.C. police announced , a program intended to crackdown on dealing drugs in the streets of the District. According to the Washington Post, officers would go undercover and act as buyers and sellers and set up command stations in crime-riddled areas of the city.

During Operation Clean Sweep, ������Ƶapp’s Del Walters, who has covered D.C. for more than four decades, decided to live in one of the city’s most notorious drug corridors with a photographer for a series called, “Five Days from the Front.”

Walters and the photographer would watch as the streets turned violent overnight, and then in the mornings. Walters said: “Business owners like Virginia Ali of Ben’s Chili Bowl would come out, sweep up the crack needles and condoms in the alley outside her now famous eatery, and open for business.”

“That’s when I learned that crime, like everything else, has a pattern and a time frame that doesn’t seem to suite most cities and most police budgets. Most cops don’t like to work the overnight shift. Most crooks do,” Walters said.

When Walters’ heard about the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime, he thought, “Here we go again.”

And when he sees the National Guard’s tanks on the streets of D.C.: “Are they there for the tourists? Or are they there for people like Virginia Ali, who now call D.C. home and have for decades, and have seen the worst of times and the best of times, while the people committing the crimes who are in all likelihood at home, asleep?” Walters asked.

‘It’s nothing like it was back then’

“The crack epidemic at that time was the driver of homicides,” Sam Ford, the former D.C. bureau chief for 7News, told ������Ƶapp.

Ford worked for 7News for over 30 years, and started working in 1987, right in the middle of crack epidemic.

He said it was a different era back then, with people fighting over money and territory.

Crime started going down in the late 1990s, which is when D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey was appointed.

Despite crime in D.C. being at an all-time low, Ford acknowledged there are still things the public should be worried about: “Now are we, you know, just the safest place on Earth? Of course not. This is a big city. This is D.C., you know, and on average here, you still have more than 150 homicides and — but, at the same time, when you’re comparing it to then, it’s nothing like that.”

Ford lived on Capitol Hill at the beginning of his career. One night at home, while he was helping his then-9-year-old daughter with her homework, he heard a scream and a gunshot.

“I shoved my daughter off the bed, and I hit the floor on the other side. This is, right, you know, half a block off my house,” Ford said.

After poking around to figure out what happened, Ford uncovered that because there were so many robberies in the area, police officers would intentionally place people in the streets to try and catch the criminals. That night, a police officer apparently shot at a robber.

“It’s a whole different picture today. I mean, it’s nothing like it was back then,” Ford said.

Crime statistics today

According to the D.C. police department, as of Aug. 15, 2025, are down 26%. Since last year, homicides are down 11%, sex abuse is down 50%, robbery is down 29%, and assault with a dangerous weapon is down 20%.

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Around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Prince George’s Fire and EMS Department was called to the 9300 block of Cherry Hill Road for reports of a child falling from a balcony.

He was medevaced to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries by U.S. Park Police, officials said.

Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy said in a , “No family should ever have to experience such pain and fear, and as a community, we stand with them during this incredibly difficult time.”

“We are grateful to first responders and medical personnel whose swift actions and professionalism gave this child the best possible chance at survival,” she wrote. “We are a strong and compassionate County, and now is the time to show that strength through support, love, and unity.”

Officials have given no confirmation on how the boy fell.

This is a developing story. Stay with ������Ƶapp for the latest.

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The crash happened before 2:15 a.m. on the northbound lanes of DC-295 between the 11th Street bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue SE.

In a news release, D.C. police said one person had been found at the scene unconscious and not breathing, and was later pronounced dead. Their age and gender has not been released.

Officials said the occupants of the striking vehicle fled the scene on foot.

No further details were provided.

D.C. police closed off the scene for a crash investigation. Once completed, it was cleared off shortly before 12:30 p.m., reopening the northbound lanes on DC-295.

See a map of where the crash and investigation took place below.

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Some of the southbound general purpose lanes will be closed due to a bridge project in the area.

The bridge — which is located beyond southbound Exit 8A to Pentagon South Parking, Route 27/Washington Boulevard and South Arlington Ridge Road — will have closures over South Fern Street.

Closures began Friday night and will continue throughout the weekend, possibly into Monday.

VDOT of what the closures will look like for drivers:

• 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2: Left lane closed
• 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2, to 7 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3: Two left lanes closed
• 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 3: Left lane closed
• (Backup, if needed) 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3: Left lane closed
• (Backup, if needed) 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 3, to 4 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4: Two left lanes closed
• (Backup, if needed) 4 a.m. to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 4: Left lane closed

VDOT said delays are to be expected.

“Closures won’t be far beyond the left exit ramps to Pentagon City or Crystal City. That’s an area that can get tricky, so if there is heavy volume during any of these work times, avoiding the left side of the roadway early will be wise if possible,” ������Ƶapp Traffic Reporter Bryan Albin said.

At least one I-395 general purpose lane will be open at all times, according to VDOT.

“Once these lane closures are complete, the southbound general purpose lanes over South Fern Street will be shifted to the right for approximately one month. The lane closures are part of a project to close joints and make minor repairs to several bridges along I-395,” VDOT said in a release.

Stick to ������Ƶapp for the latest traffic developments across the region.

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The five new galleries are the and

“Thousands of artifacts will go back on display in the reopened galleries,” .

“Favorites such as the Spirit of St. Louis, the North American X-15, John Glenn’s Mercury Friendship 7 capsule, Apollo Lunar Module 2 and the touchable moon rock will be back on view. Several artifacts new to the building in Washington will include the Sopwith F. 1 Camel, Virgin Galactic’s RocketMotorTwo, a Blue Origin New Shepard crew capsule mock-up and a Goddard 1935 A-series rocket.”

The Lockheed Martin IMAX Theater now has new and improved sound and picture quality, seating and an updated lobby area, giving visitors the opportunity to select their own seats for Hollywood movies.

All visitors will now enter through the north entrance, which is on Jefferson Drive along the National Mall (600 Jefferson Drive SW), and can exit through that same location or through the south doors on Independence Avenue.

Ticketing procedures remain the same, which are time-entry passes, and can be .

“We are thrilled to open this next phase of exhibitions to the public,” Chris Browne, John and Adrienne Mars director of the National Air and Space Museum, said in a statement.

“Reopening our main hall with so many iconic aerospace artifacts, as well as completely new exhibitions, will give visitors much more to see and enjoy. We are nearing the end of this multiyear renovation project, and we look forward to welcoming many more people into these modernized and inspiring new spaces.”

The renovations to all 20 exhibitions at the museum began back in 2018, and will end on July 1, 2026. The museum is open every day except for Christmas from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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Charles Rucker, 24, appeared in court Saturday on a charge of first-degree murder while armed after his arrest on Friday for the shooting of Honesty Cheadle.

Cheadle was with her family in a car parked on 14th Street on July 5 when Rucker allegedly opened fire on the car at least six times, shooting the toddler in the head.

According to the arrest warrant, Rucker fled the scene but returned three minutes later and was seen on camera shining his flashlight at the ground and picking up different items.

The arrest warrant states he was likely picking up shell casings.

Cheadle was taken to a hospital by DC Fire and EMS personnel, where she died on Monday.

A preliminary hearing for Rucker will be held on Aug. 13.

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Observed each year on the last Monday in May, it’s a time to honor and remember the men and women who gave their lives in service to the country.

In the D.C. area, that meaning is deeply felt. From quiet ceremonies to large-scale events, the region will host a range of tributes leading up to and on Memorial Day.

Rolling to Remember

Thousands of motorcyclists will ride through D.C. on Sunday for the annual demonstration. Organized to raise awareness for prisoners of war, those missing in action, and veterans lost to suicide, the ride is both powerful and symbolic.

It begins at the Pentagon and winds through the city, passing national landmarks including the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and Capitol Hill. Organizers said the event is designed to send a message: that the nation has not forgotten those who never made it home.

‘Flags In’ at Arlington

One of the most visually striking tributes happens in silence.

Each year, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment — known as “The Old Guard” — places more than 260,000 American flags at Arlington National Cemetery and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home National Cemetery.

Known as “,” the tradition has continued since 1948. Soldiers place the flags precisely one boot length in front of each headstone and columbarium. Flags are also placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and surrounding memorials. It’s a quiet, reverent act that reflects the scale of the sacrifice.

The flags remain in place through Memorial Day, then are respectfully removed.

National Memorial Day Parade

The begins at 2 p.m. on Monday, May 26, along Constitution Avenue. Pre-parade musical performances start around 1 p.m.

If you can’t attend in person, the event will be streamed nationwide on multiple platforms.

Expect road closures across the District throughout the weekend. You can find a full list of closures here.

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Thirty-six-year old Adrian J. Hinton of Lorton was sentenced to one year of supervised release and 125 hours of community service, .

On Jan. 8, the second day the former president was lying in state, Hinton drove from Virginia to the Capitol in D.C. He parked his car on First Street NW between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Avenue.

Hinton then poured a liquid he later claimed was napalm on the car and lit it on fire.

Bystanders reported it to U.S. Capitol Police, who responded with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives, or the ATF.

Hinton was arrested and claimed he wanted attention drawn to his frustration with President Donald Trump’s administration, according to a release. He said he made the napalm with liquids from his house.

He pleaded guilty to a destruction of government property charge on Jan. 31.

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