Grandparents, Girl Rescued From Kennedy Center Elevator: Report

WASHINGTON, DC — D.C. firefighters had to perform a dramatic rescue at the Kennedy Center over the weekend after an elderly couple and their 12-year-old granddaughter had to be rescued from a stalled elevator.

D.C. Fire and EMS tweeted shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday that they were responding to a report of three people trapped in a stalled elevator at the Kennedy Center, located at 2700 F Street NW.

"Special Ops personnel currently rescuing 2 adults &1 child from elevator stalled below Terrace Level @kencen," they later tweeted. "It is midway in shaft and requires our team to rappel to elevator & bring occupants out via a harness & hauling system."

Shortly after, they posted video of the girl being pulled to safety (embedded below). And shortly before 2 p.m., they reported that they had successfully rescued all three individuals from the elevator, which was located 30 feet below the elevator entrance.

"All are in excellent condition and had quite an adventure being hauled to safety," they added.

Kennedy Center elevator rescue update. 2 occupants removed to safety thus far. Both being evaluated by EMS. Working to remove 3rd. pic.twitter.com/JBCLIbqrIx
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) August 18, 2019

#DCsBravest Special Ops personnel currently rescuing 2 adults &1 child from elevator stalled below Terrace Level @kencen. It is midway in shaft and requires our team to rappel to elevator & bring occupants out via a harness & hauling system. pic.twitter.com/PoK8sIzkqJ
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) August 18, 2019

The Washington Post identified the couple as 82-year-old W. Wayne Smith and 80-year-old June T. Smith, and the granddaughter as 12-year-old Solana Silverman. They had come to see "Aladdin" at the Kennedy Center and were headed to the Terrace Level for lunch when they became stuck, according to the report.

Firefighters had to drop through the emergency hatch in the elevator ceiling to reach them. They were compensated with tickets for an "Aladdin" show next, the Post reported.