Washington firefighters responded early Wednesday to a small fire in an apartment on Rhode Island Avenue NW. Inside, they found 40-year-old Syed Hammad Hussain unconscious and not breathing. Officials said Hussain showed blunt-force and thermal injuries and was declared dead at the scene. The apartment near Logan Circle is about 1.1 miles from the White House. Police have taken over the case as a homicide investigation. No suspects are identified yet. Investigators are reviewing security footage showing Hussain entering with three others, including possibly a woman, before the fire. The same group was seen running from the building afterward. The Metropolitan Police are appealing for information and offering a $25,000 reward for help leading to arrests. Hussain's family is originally from Lahore and now lives in Washington. His funeral prayer will be held Saturday at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia.