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John Michael Carter

Sergeant

Sergeant Carter died when the floor collapsed during a three-alarm grocery store fire in our nation's capitol. The building was being evacuated by the incident commander at the time of the collapse. The investigation into the fire's cause indicated that faulty electrical wiring in the basement started the fire.
photo of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial
John Michael Carter was honored on the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and was included in the USFA’s annual report Firefighter Fatalities in the United States.

Department information

District of Columbia Fire Department
1923 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, District of Columbia 20001

Chief: Donald Edwards

Age: 38
Rank: Sergeant
Classification: Career
Incident date: October 24, 1997 06:30
Date of death: October 24, 1997
Cause of death: Caught or Trapped
Activity type: Advance Hose Lines/Fire Attack (includes Wildland)
Emergency duty: Yes
Duty type: On-Scene Fire
Fixed property use: Store/Office

Last updated: June 13, 2012

Watch America’s Tribute to Fallen Firefighters

Honoring line-of-duty deaths in 2019