Photo by Mr. T in DCA gas leak earlier today inside the Cuban Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy caused part of 16th Street NW to be closed between Euclid St. and Columbia Rd. The road has since reopened and Washington Gas Co. was on the scene to address the leak.
Cuba doesn’t have a real embassy in the United States, of course, so their diplomatic presence here is under the legal protection of Switzerland. But as happens so often when emergency situations arise at sensitive ambassadorial facilities, D.C. Fire/EMS crews were somewhat restricted when they showed up to respond to the call, according to spokesperson Pete Piringer. “They met our guys at the gate. We had about 15 people ready to go in, and they selected a small group, and the firefighters were escorted in.”
The firefighters who were granted entry then helped the Cubans partially evacuate and air out the building, located at 2630 16th St. NW, Piringer said. But, he said, it appeared that some parts of the facility were not made available to the firefighters.
