Evening star., 1951-09-11
Pictures on Poee AS.

in nearby Maryland were Rich
Pictures on Poee AS.
ard Burns, 6, and his brother,
Robert, 7. trapped in their bed
room when flames swept their
home at 507 Seventy-third place.
In the later fire Miss Frances
Cecilia Johnson, A, a secretary
with the Federal Communications
Commission, suffered fatal burns
when her nightclothes caught fire
in her apartment at 1905 Fiji
teenth street NV.
Mrs. Margaret Burns, 20, mother
of the dead children. was in crit
ical condition at Casualty Hos
pital with burns and with null
Itiple cuts suffered when she
leaped through a window carrying
another son, James, 8, in her
arms.
Davenport Fire Suspected.
The father, Walker Burns, was
treated at Casualty and released.
He suffered burns in futile at
tempts to save his children. Three
year-old James was in fair con-
dition.
Seat Pleasant firemen said the
blaze apparently started from a
smoldering fire of the night before,
but this had not been established
definitely as the cause. They said
the family had had a fire in the
davenport, believed started by a
cigarette yesterday. but had be-
lieved it was extinguished.
Mr.. Burns and a neighbor, Rob-
ert Jones of 506 Seventy-fourth
street, used a garden hose in vain
efforts to put out the roaring
flames before f1remen arrived at
I4:45 am.
Mr.. Jones told this story Of
the fire:
Il was awakened by some one
shouting FireI'
: II rushed out Of the house and
5 saw Mrs. Burns coming around
/, the side of her home, carrying her
little boy in her arms. She kept
. yelling:
"'My babies are in there! My
babies are in there!
: Unable to Enter House.
) II went to the bedroom window
and raised it, and smoke poured
, through. I went around to try
, to get in the rear door, but the
kitchen was completely in flames.
II went around to the front and
saw Mr.. Burns trying to get back
into the house. But the living
room was in flames, too."
Mr.. Jones attached a garden
hose, and he and Mr.. Burns tried
to put out the fire with that.
Seat pleasant firemen said Mrs.
Burns apparently had been awak-
ened by the smoke. and dashed
; into the bedroom and took James
from his crib. Then, the fire.
men added, she, apparently leaped
through a window with him.
The interior of the home was
destroyed. Firemen estimated
damage at $4,000.
Mr.. Jones said the Burns family
!. bought the one-floor five-room
frame home several years ago and
had only about $500 more to pay
i0n tho ynortuoCa
Found on Bathroom Floor.
In the Fifteenth street blaze
firemen said Miss johnson appar-
emily had fallen asleep on the
davenport in her apartment and
that a cigarette started the blaze
which cost her life.
A sister, Marine 1t. Rosalie
johnson, "a, was asleep in the
|; bedroom. She was awakened by
her sisters screams and found her
Lying on the bathroom floor.
Pvts. Robert Bertrand and Reese
Erwin of the second precinct said
/. this is apparently what happened:
Miss Johnson's night clothes
caught fi,e near her feet. The
flames awakened her, and she ran
into the bathroom, where she COL
lapsed A part of the bathroom
rug was scorched.
Miss johnson, a native of Fort
Worth, Tex, attended schools
there, and worked as secretary
in Dallas and in Philadelphia be-
fore coming to Washington in
1943. She worked here for three
years for the former Penn Central
Airline, now Capital Airlines.
In 1946 and 1947, she was in
Dachau, Germany, as civilian
employe of the War Department.
She returned here in fS48 to take
a job as clerk-stenographer in
the organization and methods
division of the FEC.
Services will be in Fort Worth.
The Hines funeral home. 2901
Fourteenth street NV, is ham
ding, arrangements here.
McHuIe RnIlias - W;n