Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-28
Two Smaller Brothers and a
Sister Are Carried
to Safety.
MOTHER BURNED TRYING
TO RESCUE HER CHILD
Residents Blame Defective Furnace
and Say Fire Marshal Had
Been Notified.

While her two smaller brothers and
sister were being carried to safety,
5-year-old Louise Gunnell, was burned
to death as she sought refuge under q
bed from flames which damaged the
Potomac Apartments, 1888 N street, this
morning
Her mother, Mrs. Anna Louise Gum
nell, was scorched about the face and
arms and her hair was singed as she
made frantic efforts to break through
the fire and reach the little girl.
The two-alarm fire broke out while
she was out of the apartment for O
minute. Returning, she discovered
smoke, coming through the wall and
found that her children had sprung the
latch of the door, locking her out Her
brother-in-law, Austin F. Gunnell, who
lives in the same apartment house.
broke in the door.
Fire Confined to Apartment.
The fire was confined to the Gunnell
apartment on the first floor, but smoke
filled the entire building, and several
persons were helped or carried to the
street by french. Residents of the
apartment house think the fire was
caused by defective furnace and say
the District fire marshal had been no.
titled several times Of the allegedly
dangerous condition.
Mary Rita Hurley, 5 years old, who
lives in the apartment next door to the
Gunnells, was carried from the apart
ment house by her 14-year-old brother
Jack after she had become frightened
when fireman attempted to help her.
Escorted From Building.
Lieut.. R. E. Oden, No Truck Com
pany, which was the first to arrive,
carried Raydell Kicks, years old, and
escorted her mother, Mrs. Mamie Kicks,
from the second floor. He also carried
June Woodbury., 9 years old, from the
third floor. None of the children or
Mrs. Kicks was injured.
The fire was discovered by Mrs. Gum
nell between 7:30 and 7:45 o'clock.
She had left her apartment to visit the
apartment on the same floor of her
brother in-law and his wife, Mrs. Ethel
Gunnell She returned q minute later
and observed smoke coming from the
wall separating her apartment from the
hallway.
Mother Finds Door Locked.
Attempting to enter. she found the
children had sprung the latch. She
rushed to her brother-in-law apart
ment with the news and Mrs. Ethel
Gunnell turned in the fire alarm. The
father of the children, Carl Gunnell. .
truck driver for the Standard Oil Co.,
had left home several hours earlier for
work.
Austin Gunnell broke in the door and,
with the two women, entered, in spite
of the flames, which had quickly spread.
Gunnell and his wife carried out Carl,
jr., years DID, and Rita, 2 years old,
while the mother of the children was
taking Robert, az months old, to the
hallway. There she put the baby on
the floor and went back into the apart
ment for Louise, who had hidden under
a bed. The mother could not find her.
Firemen arrived, and after the fire
was under control were able to reach
the child's body. The little girl was
taken to Georgetown University Hos
pital where DR.. L. j. Garcia pronounced
her dead. He said Louise may have
been asphyxiated by the smoke before
the flame reached her.
Second Alarm Sounded.
Acting Second Battalion Chief G. A.
Wells was in command of the first con-
tingent of flremen to arrive. He turned
in the second alarm, which brought
Chief Engineer George S. Watson to the
scene.
Upon entering the Gunnell apartment,
Chief Wells found a five-gallon can Of
auto radiator alcohol untouched by the
blaze He carried it out of harms way.
Austin Gunnell cut his hand break
ing in the door of the apartment
Mrs. Ethel Gunnel said after the
fire that she has complained to the
District fire marshalS Office several
times about the condition of the furnace.
Only last night, she said, coal gas it
gave off filled her apartment. The
apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Carl
Gunnell is directly over the furnace,
she said.
The father of the dead child was
notified of the tragedy by his sister
in-law. When he reached home he was
overcome and became hysterical.