Two elderly residents of a home in upper Northwest D.C died Monday in a tragic blaze, stunning a tight-knit community on Christmas Eve.
George O’Keefe, 88, and Gisela O’Keefe, 80, had called 3128 Oliver St. home for 50 years, neighbors said.
“This is a lovely couple, and their loss will be felt by many family members and many community members,” Mayor Adrian Fenty, who used to represent the O’Keefe family as the Ward 4 D.C. councilman, said from the scene. “It couldn’t have been any more tragic, especially around the holidays.”
Firefighters were dispatched to the two-story, single-family residence at 10:10 a.m. The initial 911 caller reported that people were trapped inside.
The first unit arrived two minutes later to a house engulfed in flames, said Asst. Chief Lawrence Schultz. They entered the home through a window and found George O’Keefe on the first floor and his wife on the second.
The husband was declared dead at the scene, and his wife died soon afterward at the hospital.
Schultz described the damage to the brick home as “devastating,” especially from the basement to the first floor. One firefighter who suffered minor injuries was taken to the hospital and quickly released with a few stitches.
The fire was extinguished in less than seven minutes, Schultz said. Asst. Chief Brian Lee said he was “90 percent sure” the house did not have a working smoke detector.
A cause had not been determined as of early Monday afternoon. Fire Department spokesman Alan Etter said it was likely the blaze started in the basement.
Gisela O’Keefe was a former volunteer librarian at Alice Deal Junior High School who may have been housebound in recent years due to a debilitating illness. Bob Gray, the couple’s former neighbor, described George O’Keefe as a “good, affable Irishman who would greet you with a smile, a heavy handshake and maybe a hug.” He was reportedly a former Marine.
Firefighters went from door to door in the neighborhood Monday afternoon to ensure every house had a working smoke detector.
