WASHINGTON -

A trip to a kindergarten graduation may have saved the lives of a Northeast D.C. family, as a three-alarm fire blazed through several houses on their street Thursday morning.

While they were gone, a massive fire destroyed their home and badly damaged two other houses on Douglas Street NE.

The blaze burned hard and it burned fast, as one neighbor put it who spotted the fire early. The Myers family home at 2210 Douglas Street NE was burning like a match-head when firefighters arrived around 10 a.m. Thursday.

The flames then jumped over to 2208 and destroyed the house where Daisy Johnson lived. She was at work at the time and says she's relieved firefighters were able to save her dog.

"I just got a phone call my house was on fire. My concern was my dog. I'm here and that's it," said Johnson.

Shirley McCoy, the neighbor on the other side at 2212 Douglas Street, had lived in her house for 45 years. She was at work when friends saw her house on TV and alerted her. "I'm blessed that no one was hurt," said McCoy. "Material things can be replaced."

The Myers were at nearby Landgon Elementary School attending a promotion ceremony for the youngest of their two children when a neighbor came and got them. 

» Link: Fire Photo Gallery

"I still have to get it processed. All I can do is laugh to keep from crying," said Bernard Myers. "I had 30... oh, lord, 37 years of my life in that house." 

Myers said the scene is especially devastating because he was recently laid off from his job. That's why, he says, he allowed his home insurance to lapse.

Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said that the investigation had not yet been able to determine the cause of the fire.

As of 11:21 a.m., all visible fire had been extinguished. No injuries were reported, and a number of dogs were rescued from the homes, including the Myers' dog.

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