Sadia D. Williams Washington D.C firefighter graduate falls to her death while partying on rooftop just two days after graduating. No foul play ruled as cause of death continues to be investigated.
A recent firefighter graduate in Washington D.C fell to her death while celebrating her graduation at a rooftop party.
Sadia D. Williams, 21, who had only graduated on Friday as part of the DC Fire and EMS cadet class died after falling to her death during the early morning hours of Sunday morning.
Williams met tragedy while she and her classmates celebrated their graduation on the rooftop of a 4 story townhouse on 16th street in Northeast DC, WLTX reported.
D.C firefighter graduate falls to her death
Williams fell from the rooftop of the building at around 1 a.m, surrounded by metal fencing. She was brought to a nearby hospital, where she died from her injuries.
DC police do not believe foul play was involved, Fox 5 reported.
It remained unclear if Williams had been drunk or under the influence at the time of the tragedy or how she came to make her way over the metal fencing.
Williams had been assigned to engine company 13 in Southwest DC following her graduation.
Williams’s cousin Kevin Kojo Prince said on Facebook that her death has ‘devastated our family hard’.
Ryan Pagel, a friend of Williams, said: ‘Sadia wasn’t just another Cadet to me – she was one of my few workout partners during daily PT.
‘I’d load the bar with more weight than she thought she could handle, and she’d just smile, step up, and give it her best. More often than not, she proved herself stronger than even she realized. That determination and spirit defined her.’
DC firefighter cause of fall under investigation
Dave Hoagland, president of the DC Firefighters Union, said: ‘This is incredibly tragic news.
‘She just graduated on Friday and was celebrating with her classmates and it’s just a really tough loss for the department and all DC firefighters.
‘We deployed our peer support team down to the training academy today to sit with her and talk through things and their feelings and just to make sure that everybody’s processing everything.’
The DC Fire and EMS Department announced the ‘tragic and unexpected loss’ of Williams in a statement, saying: ‘Probationary Firefighter Williams was a dedicated employee, a rising professional, and a bright presence within our organization.’
Williams’s body remains at the Medical Examiner’s Office.
Even though her death was not technicaly an in-service death, Hogland says she will receive an honorary send off. Authorities continue to investigate the cause of death.
