Fire destroys Knights of Columbus hall
A Knights of Columbus hall in Oxon Hill was destroyed by an early morning blaze Tuesday. It took more than 40 firefighters 90 minutes to extinguish the fire at the Knights of Columbus Bishop Patrick J. Byrne Council No. 3877 hall, said Prince George’s County fire and emergency medical services spokesman Mark Brady. Fire officials estimated the damage to be about $1 million. The cause and origin of the fire are under investigation.
Generator causes boom, smoke at Union Station
A loud boom and smoke near the Union Station was caused by an emergency generator backfiring at a nearby building. The fire department received several calls about an explosion around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday. After searching the area, firefighters determined that the boom was caused by an office building generator on the 700 block of North Capitol Street.
Woman sold teens for sex
A Maryland woman has pleaded guilty to selling sex with two teenage girls in more than 100 hotel rooms in D.C., Maryland and New York. Lea Bell, 29, pleaded guilty Tuesday to sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy charges. Bell and Byron Thompson, 25, both of Reisterstown, were arrested in April after posting ads on Craigslist for sex with two minors. Thompson pleaded guilty earlier this month and his sentencing is set for October. The girls were 15 and 17 years old.
Burning van death’s cause undetermined
The cause of death of the person who was found in a burning minivan Monday has not been determined, Montgomery County police said. Ebrima Sarr, 45, was found in a vehicle in the middle of the 7500 block of Maple Avenue in Takoma Park. Fire officials determined that the fire did not originate in the engine of the minivan, but rather somewhere inside the passenger compartment where the driver was seated.
