Two people displaced after house fire in Northwest DC

By Andrew Alsbrooks
August 2, 2025 | 9:50 AM

Two people were displaced Saturday after an overnight fire broke out at their home in the District’s Northwest region.

DC Fire and EMS said the home’s two occupants had been asleep when the blaze broke out, adding that both were able to safely escape the home after being alerted by a smoke alarm.

First responders had been working the scene since about 3 a.m. Saturday. The fire broke out on the second floor and attic of the wood frame house located on the 4500 block of 44th Street.

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“There could have been a tragic outcome if not for the smoke alarm,” the fire department said, underscoring that “working smoke alarms save lives.” Investigators said no injuries were reported from the scene.

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National Museum of the American Latino to be housed in historic Smithsonian building

By Neal Augenstein
September 1, 2026 | 10:36 AM

The Smithsonian Institution has decided to put the National Museum of the American Latino into an existing, historic building, rather than constructing a new one. The Smithsonian Board of Regents on Monday designated the Arts and Industries Building, a 145-year-old redbrick Victorian structure located between the Smithsonian Castle and the Hirshhorn Museum, as the permanent site of the National Museum of the American Latino, which Congress authorized in 2020. In 2022, the Smithsonian narrowed its survey for permanent locations for the National Museum of the American Latino and the American Women's History Museum to four locations near the National Mall on land owned by the National Park Service. The Arts and Industries Building, located at 900 Jefferson St. SW, was one of the four sites. New construction on National Park Service land would require congressional approval. However, since the Smithsonian already owns the Arts and Industries Building, the institution can place the National Museum of the American Latino in the existing building without additional legislation.

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