Photo by sally henny penny

Good morning, Washington. A few things that are hot on this sunny winter’s day: the Capitals (more on that later), and the apartment building at 1514 Newton Street NW. A big fire broke out there early this morning, leaving about 75 people temporarily displaced, as the AP has reported. Firefighters believe the blaze began after a power surge ignited an electrical meter in the basement, D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer said. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported, but residents won’t be allowed to return home for the time being, as utilities to the building have been shut off. Additionally, investigators asked DCRA inspectors to come to the scene to assess whether the building’s owners were guilty of fostering poor conditions and code violations, as firefighters saw evidence that they thought they were. The Red Cross is assisting, and officials say the displaced residents will be relocated to a temporary shelter.

What’s not hot? Mayor Adrian Fenty. The Washington Post put out new poll numbers on the mayor on Sunday, revealing a whopping 49 percent disapproval rating. We’ll be digging into those numbers more in just a bit, but for now, ponder this: “More than four in 10 in the new poll doubt [Fenty’s] honesty, empathy and openness.” Think results like that could finally convince someone viable to run against the man? Over at the Examiner, Leah Fabel gets a litany of notable local politicos to more or less agree that Fenty could stand to go to charm school.

Briefly Noted: Metro’s 2009 death toll actually higher than the transit agency first reported … Man shot and killed in the 1300 block of Stevens Road SE overnight … National Cathedral to webcast Mathias’ funeral.

This Day in DCist: In 2008, we noticed that the design of all the diplomatic license plates seen around town had changed.