A man who was among dozens displaced from a D.C. building set ablaze by fireworks last year has one birthday wish: to move back home.

A little more than a year ago, kids playing with fireworks set a balcony at Oxford Manor on fire, officials said. The fire spread, and more than 70 residents were forced out of their apartments.

“All I had on was a pair of jeans,” resident James Webb said. “No shoes.”

The building remains fenced off.

Webb was relocated to another apartment in Southeast — “It’s just so small,” he said — and waits to find out when he can move back.

“I leave messages; I do not get a return call,” he said.

Many memories of his late wife — records, DVDs, home videos of his children — were destroyed.

“When I think about that I, you know, it really gets emotional sometimes,” Webb said. “But, you know, I’m getting used to it, now.”

A retired federal government worker, Webb lived there for almost 30 years. It’s unclear when the building will be ready for people to move back in.

“I want to go back and really just start my life over again,” said Webb, who turns 74 this month.

The kids who officials say caused the fire have not been identified.

News4 was unable to reach property management for comment.

The Greater Washington DC Black Chamber of Commerce (GWBCC) will host its Juneteenth Awards Reception on June 30. The nonprofit’s mission is to support economic development in the Black community through education, enterprise and entrepreneurship.

“This celebration is more than an awards ceremony — it is a powerful reflection of the role Black businesses play in shaping the economic and cultural fabric of the greater Washington region,” said Aisha Bond, president and CEO of the GWBCC. 

Honorees include Kristina Noell, the first African American woman to serve as a Business Improvement District executive director in Washington, D.C.; Amanda Stephenson, founder of the Fresh Food Factory, which combats food deserts in Ward 8; and Yusef Henriques, who launched a genomics startup in D.C. to advance health equity for Indigenous and African diasporic communities. Also recognized are chefs Mac McAlister and Pinkey Reddick, owners of Flavorture; B. Doyle Mitchell Jr., president and CEO of Industrial Bank; and Denise Barnes, owner and publisher of The Washington Informer.

The awards reception is a featured event in the chamber’s Art of Black Business series, which honors entrepreneurs for their efforts to sustain, build and inform communities.

The Capital Workforce Innovation Consortium, a program of the Department of Employment Services, and BuildWithin will also be recognized as the Business Partnerships of the Year. Held in the spirit of Juneteenth, the event is not only a moment of recognition but also a call to continue investing in Black entrepreneurship.

“Juneteenth reminds us of the legacy of our past, while the achievements of these honorees inspire our future,” Bond said.