The District of Columbia government is demanding more than $13 million from the contractor that fire investigators allege was responsible for the three-alarm blaze that nearly destroyed the Georgetown Neighborhood Library.
The April 30 incident was caused, the city claims, by the negligent use of electric heating guns by a subcontractor hired by Hyattsville-based Dynamic Corp., the company retained to improve the exterior of the library. The devices were employed to remove lead-based paint from the walls of the branch, located at 3260 R St. NW.
The city “is entitled to damages for the destruction of this historic building, and it is our responsibility to city taxpayers to ensure that businesses we engage for work are accountable for their actions,” Attorney General Linda Singer said in a statement.
Filed by D.C. Chief Procurement Officer David Gragan and delivered Aug. 14 to Dynamic Corp. President Ebenezer Adewumni, the $13 million damage-claim was based on multiple investigations by the fire and police departments. It includes $12 million for the library structure, more than $1 million for restoration tied to the fire, $7,942 for furniture and $4,000 for computer equipment.
Dynamic has 90 days to appeal the claim to the Contract Appeals Board. Further appeals by either side could take the issue into the D.C. court system. The company referred all calls to its attorney, who could not be reached for comment.
In the claim, Gragan argues there were no possible causes for the fire other than the negligence of workers with Two Brothers Contracting Inc., the subcontractor. Not only were the heating guns found in the library’s charred remains, but cans of extremely flammable spray adhesive were located near the area where the fire started.
The city’s deal with Dynamic, Gragan wrote, makes clear that the contractor “shall be fully responsible … for the acts and omissions of [the] subcontractor.” Two Brothers is not named in the claim.
The fire caused heavy damage. The west end of the roof collapsed, as did the cupola and several windows. The children’s section was destroyed, though the branch’s historic-documents room remained mostly intact.
