A Georgetown University student was found dead in the basement of a row house as a result of a fire Sunday morning.
According to an autopsy, senior Daniel Rigby, a business major from River Edge, N.J., died of smoke inhalation in a row house on the 3300 block of Prospect Street.
"How the fire started, we may never know," said Alan Etter, D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department spokesperson. "It could have been a power surge, it could have been anything. But we know where it started, in an unspecified fault in wiring near the furnace."
After being notified via a 911 call about the fire, firefighters were dispatched at 8:53 a.m., according to Etter. He said they had no way of knowing when the fire started.
Etter also reported numerous fire code violations, which weren't discovered until inspection on Tuesday. The building had all of the right ingredients for a disaster, Etter said.
The windows were covered by padlocked wrought-iron bars. There was an excess accumulation of combustibles, and Etter said that the row house was generally not well-kept.
Other violations include inaccessible exit doors, including a locked door in the basement that led out to an alley. There were fire extinguishers, but they were not in working condition. The smoke detectors in the house were in operating condition, but not the one in the basement where the fire started - where Rigby was sleeping.
"It is the landlord's responsibility to ensure that rental homes are safe for all tenants, including students," said Sandra Hawkins of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
Georgetown spokeswoman Laura Cavender said that six students lived in the house, and officials have confirmed that at least three other students were there at the time of the fire.
Etter also noted the presence of alcoholic beverages in the house, suggesting the possibility that the victim was intoxicated.
"Naturally, this incident has raised many questions among students about fire safety," said Cavender. She said that the University was working with the Fire Department to ensure student safety.
She said that while the university has no direct control over the quality of off-campus housing, it does offer resources to students moving off-campus, including orientations and a living guide that includes students' rights and responsibilities as tenants.
She also said that the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs would begin safety inspections of student housing this week. She said that the university would help students find either on- or off-campus housing if their residences were deemed unsafe.
An informal memorial mass for Rigby was held on Monday night, Cavender said, and a memorial service is being planned.
