A lack of water caused D.C. firefighters to struggle to bring the massive fire that gutted Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s Palisades mansion under control, according to city investigators.
At 8:30 p.m. July 29, about 15 minutes after the fire at 3030 Chain Bridge Road NW was reported, firefighters communicated that “water supply is an issue,” according to a report released by Mayor Adrian Fenty. By 8:45, water supply companies established a mile-long relay of hoses to connect to additional hydrants. Not until 9:30 p.m. did firefighters connect to a main on Rockwood Parkway that “provided the required water needed for this size fire.”
At 1 a.m. July 30, the fire that engulfed the 15,000-square-foot home was finally contained. The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
The report describes a “unique set of circumstances that resulted in a particularly challenging” situation. The size of the house, the age of the water main, the elevation in Palisades, and the location of the home on a nearly mile long stretch of roadway without a cross street all played a role.
“Typically, firefighters can pull water supply from multiple mains during a large fire, but because of the lack of cross streets, this particular street is on a single water main creating additional pressure issues,” the report says.
The D.C. fire department and the Water and Sewer Authority implemented hydrant inspection, flow testing and maintenance agreements following fires in 2007 that destroyed the Georgetown Neighborhood Library and an Adams Morgan apartment building. Progress was made, according to the report, but “additional systemic review must take place to identify neighborhoods that may have low water flow and other water supply vulnerabilities.”
“That was the point of working together the last two years,” said Ward 3 D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, who represents Palisades. “I’m glad that we’re going to do that now, but that’s what we should have been doing all along.”
Firefighters at the Cafritz home initially struggled to draw more than 450 gallons of water per minute, 550 gallons short of the minimum flow standard. But it is debatable, the report noted, how much of the home could have been saved if water flow was stronger, given that 80 percent of the first floor was engulfed four minutes after dispatch.
A D.C. Council hearing on the fire is scheduled for Sept. 16.
