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Black, charred walls stand in place of a building in Southeast D.C. that was leveled Thursday after an apparent gas leak and explosion.
A child day care center was housed next door to the now-leveled building on the 1200 block of Marion Barry Avenue. It, too, was severely destroyed by the blast from the explosion and is now fenced off.
The 鈥淏aby Einstein Child Development Center鈥� had been a part of the Anacostia community for over a decade, owner Regina Snead said.
However, minutes before the explosion, she recalled sensing danger.
鈥淲e smelled gas, and my first instinct was, ‘let鈥檚 get the kids out.’鈥� said Snead, 鈥淚 said, 鈥楪et the kids out!鈥欌��
She and her staff reacted quickly, ultimately helping to evacuate 16 children, including babies, with just minutes to spare.
Surveillance video from inside the business shows an empty day care room bursting into flames and being rocked by the blast.
Snead said after smelling smoke, she and the teachers began helping the kids put their coats. They threw blankets over them as they walked outside into the freezing temperatures. A nearby smokehouse let the children stay inside to keep warm.
鈥淭he teachers did a great job singing to them and playing with them, just keeping [the kids] occupied,鈥� said Snead. 鈥淭he kids knew we were out of the building waiting for mommy or daddy to pick them up.鈥�
Firefighters are still investigating the gas leak, which investigators say began after a car crashed into an outside gas meter.
With the day care destroyed, some parents are now scrambling to find child care. Community leaders are working to help families find alternative options.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to discourage the parents from going to work. What we鈥檙e trying to do is to find spacing for the children,鈥� said ANC Commissioner Robin McKinney.
She said the mayor鈥檚 office is working overtime with other local agencies to find child care facilities for parents. Parents will be provided with expedited emergency vouchers that can be used at other child care locations with space. One of the goals is to find places close to the Anacostia Metro stop so commutes are not drastically changed for the families.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 want to inconvenience parents at all. And we want to make sure that the kids are in a safe environment,鈥� said McKinney.
McKinney told 海角精品黑料 that they are also working to help Snead find a new space 鈥渙f her choice鈥� so that she can continue working in child care.
鈥淸Regina鈥檚] been here for a long time,鈥� said McKinney.
Meanwhile, Snead has created to rebuild her business.
鈥淭his is something that I鈥檝e built for over 10 years, and just watching it deteriorate,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was scary and sad.鈥�
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