March 13, 2008
Morning Roundup: The Fire and the Fury Edition
Good morning, Washington. Late yesterday we published a short post attempting to clear up the rumors that a number of people had been robbed as they exited the Target in Columbia Heights on Monday. A police inspector had written a note to a 3rd District email list explaining that no one had been robbed, and rather that a number of Target employees had been caught stealing from the store, resulting in a call to the police. Well according to the City Paper, the same inspector, Edward Delgado, is now saying he was wrong about the thieving employees, and regrets sending the 3rd District email. "Nothing happened at the Target store,” he told Jason Cherkis. Apparently Delgado had gotten some bad information from another officer and repeated it without verifying it. He also said he has not seen any evidence of a spike in crime around the new Target.
Five-Alarm Fire at Mt. Pleasant Apartment Building: There were seemingly dozens of fire trucks and emergency vehicles parked along 16th Street NW just below Mt. Pleasant Street at around 1 a.m. last night, with good reason. What eventually became a five-alarm fire at an apartment building at 3145 Mount Pleasant St. NW broke out overnight, displacing roughly 200 people from their homes. The Meridian Hill Baptist Church in the 3100 block of 16th Street NW was also damaged. 16th Street is an absolute mess this morning traffic-wise, with partial street closures and circling news helicopters contributing to the chaos. Word from NBC4 is that the apartment building appears to be a total loss. The Post says one firefighter has been reported injured.
Still No Lease for D.C. United With less than a week until D.C. United’s first home game of 2008, the team has still not reached a new lease agreement with RFK Stadium, the Examiner reports. If a new deal isn’t reached by next week, the team will continue playing at RFK on a month-to-month basis.
Briefly Noted: Man dies after shooting on the steps of an elementary school ... Former Mayor Anthony Williams bought a condo on H Street after a lifetime of renting ... Violent crime is down in Alexandria ... Tri-Community Public Charter School set to relinquish its charter.
This Day in DCist: In 2007 we shouldn't have been surprised to see Marion Barry evade jail time yet again, and in 2006 we wondered if rock throwers in Columbia Heights had switched to bricks.
Photo by brandonwu
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Is there any good web site for hearing live dispatches of DC fire or police services?
I didn't catch all of the Fenty fire conference. Didn't the apartment have multiple violations over several years?
ME, yes.
And as recently as December, the building had issues with the fire alarm system itself.
Thank Jebus, this could have turned out much, much worse.
Nice, I can't wait to find out half way through the season that I have to trek out to Frederick to see a United game.
Now that the renters have been burned out, I wonder what the new condos will look like. I wonder if the owners cordinated with the Washington Post in setting this fire.
In ten years, I'm sure every single "This Day in DCist" will be able to mention an example of Marion Berry avoiding jail time...
From 16th street you can see a big gaping hole in the church roof. It must have been a terrible fire to spread like that. I believe it had been up for sale, not sure what'll happen to it now.
Of course, Graham wasted no time posturing about how this is a building who's landlord allowed it to deteriorate to force tenants out to flip it into condos. Which begs the question, is God on Jim Graham's staff? He then conceded that the tenants were succeeding in getting improvements made to the building.
Oh, and anyone else find it funny that when asked to tell the firefighters what to retrieve from the apartments, one person asked for them to get her birth control pills?
If you go to the WP video of the fire the very next video clip is FDR's fireside chat...
So:
(a) Will Graham use this as ammunition to further his crackdown on slumlords, and
(b) Where the f*** was DC's enforcement mechanism while these violations went unprosecuted?
Of course, (b) is a trick question. They were giving eachother blowjobs in the alley next to the Green Lantern.
one person asked for them to get her birth control pills?
She's gotta sleep somewhere tonight.
As my name suggests, I was close by to this fire. Was kept up until about 3 am. It was a smoke fire for a while and about 1 am, suddenly flamed up. Flames must have been 100 feet high for a little bit. The church caught fire about 45 minutes after the apt building was in flames. We could see from our window as it jumped to the roof. In a matter of 2-3 minutes, the entire roof was gone. Amazing, yet devastating to watch.
I'd upload tons of pics if we didn't lose cable and internet as soon as the fire started. Must have burned some cable line.
@16th and Irving, I couldn't have been too far from you -- same issue here with the cable. Minor, of course, compared to what the folks in the building up the street, and the adjacent evacuated buildings, are dealing with.
I uploaded some from the office this morning.
Monkey, I think Graham lost the "cracking down on slumlords" portfolio following the last election; he has "cracking down on rowdy nightclubs and taxi drivers" instead. The "cracking down on slumlords" job now belongs to... wait for it...
Marion Barry.
Note to self: invest in condo developers.
Wait, so as far as Target not having any robberies, where did the quoted reports of people being robbed on the metro escalator come from?
Please, don't put us on alert with false stories. Those of us who live in the surrounding blocks would like real info. so if we need to change up the routine we can or if we don't have to that would be nice too.
Have robberies increased in the area or not? Does anyone have real facts?
OK, my bad! I just scrolled down and saw yesterday's report. I see there is more concrete info.
Lmaooooooooooooooooooooooo
Someone should alert Lou Dobbs about this fire. He'll go balistic about illegals burning down an apartment building that the American middle class helped build.
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IS TONIC OKAY?!
Now, we knew I couldn't not comment here.
Of course we are WAY premature in determining a cause for this fire. So I won't speculate. I know literally nothing about this particular building.
But it's safe to say that a crapload of 100 year old rental buildings in DC are just waiting to catch fire.
Some are because of slumlords and lax/nonexistent DC oversight.
But quite a few more are because of the idiocy of a rent control and tenants rights system that creates the underlying stock of super crappy aging housing.
It costs a crapload of money to upgrade a building's electrical and fire safety system. And more often than not the landlord can't raise rents or rent ceilings enough to cover the cost.
Add to that the fact that many tenants refuse to leave even temporarily so such work can be done.
Literally a recipe for disaster.
Regardless of the cause of this particular fire you gotta feel bad for these tenants.
And here's my plug for renters insurance. In the event of a fire a tenant's personal belongings are not covered by the landlord's insurance.
Renters insurance, which covers all your belongings, may even provide you funds for a temporary apartment, relocation assistance, etc., is super cheap - something like $80 a year.
But almost no one gets it.
sweet, less crime in Alexandria! good news for me. not that i was worried or anything.
That building was renovated a couple of years ago after the owners, the city and the tenants entered into an agreement to bring it up to code and increase inspections. I think you are right that, given the fact that no one knows what the cause of the was, it is a bit premature to speculate on just how this is the government's fault. Perhaps you should heed your own advice.
ps - RON PAUL!
So once again, everybody wins:
a) a DC politician gets to shout and scream about the evil landlords;
b) the landlords get to: (i) not give a right of first refusal to any tenants when the building goes condo because the tenants "voluntarily" terminated their leases and (ii) avoid asking the painful question inherent within a renovation: whether the place was loaded to the gills with asbestos--just a quick teardown.
I guess the only thing left to do is to settle on naming the new luxury condos
after an important figure in the community which gave the area ethnic or cultural significance (of course, immediately in the wake of said community being priced out of said luxury condos, a la "The Ellington" on U St.)
I'll confess I couldn't immediately think of any famous El Salvadorans so I had to use Google. But now that I have, my vote is for "The Delgado" after Father Jose Matias Delgado who first called for independence.
i'll second the plug for renter's insurance. it's really cheap, and if, god forbid, i was in the same situation, i'd feel dumb not having it.
but, to the target story: between the prince of petworth, who started this whole thing, and the city paper and dcist, you guys formed a love-triangle of rumor mongering on this one. yeah, it's all blogs, so who gives a rat's ass, right? seriously, it would have been nice to see some real journalism take place here, with facts verified, etc., etc. relying on a cop's word, even if he is an authority figure, without backing it up with a second source that isn't a petworth blogger, would have been a good call here...
According to a friend/resident (paraphrased):
The fire started in a utility area of the basement and kept reigniting in spite of two extinguishers emptied on it.
i'll second the plug for renter's insurance. it's really cheap, and if, god forbid, i was in the same situation, i'd feel dumb not having it.
For real though! You have to get that renter's insurance, I was able to get it through my car insurance company and just have an additional $7/month tacked onto my bill.
One more helpful tip, insure your stuff for the replacement value.
Will the building be demolished? If only this could have happened to that eyesore of a building just south of Meridian Hill park on W St. It ruins the view from the park. (And it's ugly as sin too.)
Absolutely re: the Renter's Insurance. I completely agree. If things get lost, stolen, damaged, destroyed because of a situation like this, it's a no-brainer.
But the difference in this case was that the residents advocated upgrading the electrical, fire systems. They teamed together with two advocacy groups in 2004 to help them. AND they were making headway.
Renters insurance - for not much more $$ you can have them add on relocation assistance in case you are burned out or whatnot. Plus, you can add a liability clause - if your drunk roomie accidentally (or on purpose) torches the place then your landlord sues the insurance company, not you, for the damages.
P.S. -- said acquaintance as posted a recap, complete with youtube videos on Prince of Petworth.
To "I am, therefore I Think"
Don't you mean Malcolm X park? ;)
. . . And the times, they are a-changin'!
But the real question is, will renters insurance give me replacement value for my bisex porn collection?
Hillman, bisex porn has little or no value at all, so I don't see why they would. try it and see.
GloverP
I like: El Sobreprecio
TONIC IS OKAY!!! The closest business was a Bank of America branch office which didn't appear to be affeted either. It looks like the 'Deauville' building was under water and waste litigation in the past.
But, but, some has value. Specifically, when it's two obviously gay guys and they threw the girl in to call it bi. The guys make pissy faces every time they have to touch her. But at first they pretend they are straight, digging the girl only.... that is until they get even the slightest chance to visit the Hershey Highway.
Have I said too much, again?
Truly, capturing that on video has to have some value.
Agreed, renter's insurance is pretty much an unbeatable deal. Unless, like me, you own basically nothing.
Regardless everyone should get it.
Agreed, renter's insurance is pretty much an unbeatable deal. Unless, like me, you own basically nothing.
Regardless everyone should get it.
According to NBC4, you can help the displaced residents of the Mt. Pleasant fire by donating food or clothing to Neighbors' Consejo. Visit:
http://www.neighborsconsejo.org/
You can also call 202-234-6855 or send the donation to 3118 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20010.
According to NBC4, you can help the displaced residents of the Mt. Pleasant fire by donating food or clothing to Neighbors' Consejo. Visit:
http://www.neighborsconsejo.org/
You can also call 202-234-6855 or send the donation to 3118 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20010.
Hillman, you can never say too much. Well, okay, maybe you can. But I think words just aren't doing it justice. LOL.
Have I said too much, again?
Do you even have to ask?
At least one title is, frankly, irreplaceable.
Rent's Late Again, Bitch
The compelling story of an arrogant landlord and his constantly-late-on-rent tenants, when both parties finally confront each other, mano to mano, in the tenant's apartment, which conveniently, is right next door an army training facility..... .
The sexual tension is top notch.
And the dialog. Well, let's say I can ditch my Viagra prescription at long last.
We're cast for Rent's Late Again, Bitch, Part II - The Eviction, if anyone is interested.
Only 3 am? I live about half a mile south of there, and was kept up from midnight until 6:30 am with all the firetrucks racing up 16th street. Not that I'm complaining-- I'm glad they were able to rescue everyone!
And yes, every renter should have insurance! My apartment was broken into about a month ago, and I'm so glad I had renter's insurance when it happened. I felt the house was pretty secure, with heavy bars on all the windows and doors and an alarm system, but someone still got in and stole a few thousand dollars' worth of stuff.
We're cast for Rent's Late Again, Bitch, Part II - The Eviction, if anyone is interested.
I'm interested in auditioning for the part of the guy who doesn't think it's gay so long as he's the one getting blown.
The fire started in a utility area of the basement and kept reigniting in spite of two extinguishers emptied on it.
Translation: the moorlocks have moved out of the sewers and into the basements and now they're coming after the Baptists.
plescowicz was right. Time to REPENT, people.
Peace, +JMJ+
Hillrat, I'd be happy to be your scene partner. HA! Although, DC is filled with guys who have played that role time and time again.
Hillman,
I have a better tile for Rent II, how about, "Rent's Late Again, Bitch II: Fix My Leaky Pipes and I'll Give it to you Hard"?
I have to echo the importance of insurance here. It's a real shame, but hillman, hillrat and I had to shut down production on Hot Tranny Mess II: The Legend of Curly's Butthairs because our backers pulled out and shot skeet all over the cast. It was pretty much a postmodern take on the old Bing Crosby/Bob Hope "on the road" movies, except with a Black guy, a homo, and the stinking corpse of Dorothy Lamour. Too bad the insurance didn't include a force majeure clause, otherwise we'd be able to cover the catastrophic losses associated with the sewage trebuchet malfunction.
Hot tip: spend the extra money and go with Israeli army surplus. The ex-Soviet stuff just isn't worth it.
Rents Late Again III: Because of the Exploding Manhole Cover
Five alarms, through the roof, burned out the building, it was a packed multifamily apartment, and zero deaths?
I'll say it again. DC EMS maybe not so much, but DCFD is real good at what they do.
amen on that WOV, glad that there were no serious injuries there.
Don't forget about the 50 firefighters from VA and MD.
Don't forget about the 50 firefighters from VA and MD.
I'm glad to see that Firefighters are more worried about saving lives than they are about jurisdiction issues.
Peace and gratitude to all the brave firefighters of the Metro area.
@EinDC - Only if WifeRat can watch!
Hillman, that's hilarious. But does leave me saying to myself "of course Hillman would be into Landlord/Tenant porn!" Glad you can poke fun.
Rent's Late Stories, Security DEEPosit. ?
Yeah, big ups Fire Dept.
It's a real shame, but hillman, hillrat and I had to shut down production on Hot Tranny Mess II: The Legend of Curly's Butthairs because our backers pulled out and shot skeet all over the cast.
You neglected to mention the law suits because of the slip & falls in the ankle deep Santorum on the set.
For anyone up for a tedious read about how rent control creates unsafe housing conditions, feel free to prop yourself up with a Mickeys Big Mouth and read this enormous MIT study on just that topic....
http://www.nmhc.org/Content/ServeFile.cfm?FileID=119
Jackie Hillman treats objects like tenants, man.
Now here's my question. A few months ago, there was that fire that tore through that Adams Morgan apartment complex. Hoses had to be run from as far away as Woodley Park and Columbia Heights to extinguish the fire due to horrible water pressure from Adams Morgan's pipes.
Mt. Pleasant is just a stone's throw from Adams Morgan. Is there any chance that the same thing happened here, contributing to the extensive fire damage?
Food for thought.
Fortunately, we were sharing the set with an omorashi video crew, so they sorta took care of the santorum-soaked carpet.
And I got to keep the b-roll footage. Coming soon to youporn: "Capitol Hill Pissmops II: Electric Boogaloo." (A DCist Joint)
to quote the post article from this morning "as far away as Maryland and Virginia"
Indeed, because if they were any closer, gosh it would be DC.
@ drew in adams morgan:
It looked to me like they had enough water pressure, except for potentially one key moment when the only hose they had trained on the fire ran dry. The fire got worse at that point, but they pretty quickly got more hoses on it and got it under control.
I don't know the first thing about fighting fires but it seemed to my uneducated eye that DCFD did a great job and for the most part had what they needed to work with.
I'm impressed that the hydrants actually had water in them.
What happened to comment moderation? It's not just for trolls. I don't want to read about skeet or tranny porn in a post about 200 people being rendered homeless, from a troll or a regular commenter. Grow up.
@Hillrat. I'm fine with that.
The issues at Target are a thing of the past due to this.
Is that plane made out of poo?
Brown bomber, indeed.
Updates and Immediate needs of the Fire Victims
http://www.hearmountpleasant.org