A gas explosion leveled a building in Southeast D.C. Thursday. What remains are the black, charred walls of the building, located in the 1200 block of Marion Barry Ave.
Next door was located a child day care center. The blast severely destroyed the day care, which is currently fenced off.
Regina Snead, the owner of the “Baby Einstein Child Development Center,” said she evacuated 16 babies and children just minutes before the building exploded.
“We smelled gas, and my first instinct was, let’s get the kids out.” said Snead, “I said, ‘Get the kids out.’”
Surveillance video from inside the business shows an empty day care room bursting into flames and being rocked by the blast.
The day care owner said her business had been a part of the Anacostia community for over a decade. “This is something that I’ve built for over 10 years, and just watching it deteriorate. it was scary. And sad.”
Snead said that after smelling smoke, she and the teachers helped kids by “putting their coats on and throwing blankets over them” and walking outside into the freezing temperatures. A nearby smokehouse let the children stay inside to get warm.
“The teachers did a great job singing to them and playing with them, just keeping [the kids] occupied,” said Snead.
“The kids knew we were out of the building waiting for mommy or daddy to pick them up.”
Due to the day care being destroyed, some parents must now scramble to find child care for their kids. Community leaders are working to help these parents by finding them alternative options.
“We don’t want to discourage the parents from going to work. What we’re trying to do is to find spacing for the children.“ said ANC Commissioner Robin McKinney.
She said the mayor’s 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 places with space. One of the goals is to find places close to the Anacostia Metro stop so that commutes are not drastically changed for the families.
“We don’t want to inconvenience parents at all. And we want to make sure that the kids are in a safe environment,” said McKinney.
The Commissioner told WTOP that they are also “working with the director of the facility to [help] her to find a space of her choice so that she can continue working.”
“[Regina’s] been here for a long time,” said McKinney.
The owner of “Baby Einstein” has created a GoFundMe to raise money to rebuild.
Firefighters are investigating the gas leak, believed to be caused by a truck hitting the gas meter.
