Families Sue D.C. and Landlord for Fire that Killed Two Renters

WASHINGTON -- The families of two people killed during a 2019 rowhouse fire are suing the landlord and District of Columbia officials for wrongful death.

They accuse the defendants of shocking oversights of their duties while claiming $300 million in damages.

The fire at 708 Kennedy St. NW killed 40-year-old Fitsum Kebede and 9-year-old Yafet Solomen.

The lawsuit says the landlord and the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs failed to take action on complaints about serious housing code violations by a police officer. DCRA regulates construction and business activities.

The officer was called to the converted rooming house on a noise complaint. While there, he noticed serious housing code violations that he reported to the DCRA.

The landlord, James Walker, is charged with second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty but is awaiting trial.

In addition, the Office of the D.C. Attorney General is pursuing charges against Walker for 41 alleged criminal fire and housing code violations.

The lawsuit by the victims’ families also names as defendants the DCRA, employees of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department and the District of Columbia. It says the D.C. government failed to properly train building inspectors and to investigate dangerous conditions at rental properties.

The fire started in the basement near the only exit, where 9-year-old Yafet lived with his mother in a small, windowless room. Kebede also lived in the basement in a 5-and-1/2-foot by 8-foot room.

For more information, contact The Legal Forum (www.legal-forum.net) at email: [email protected] or phone: 202-479-7240.