The unstable condition of the Mount Pleasant apartment building gutted by a five-alarm fire hampered D.C. fire officials’ investigation of the blaze on Friday.
The fire left more than 200 residents homeless.
Investigators were unable to walk through the four-story building at 3145 Mount Pleasant St. NW, because the level of damage was so severe, said D.C. fire spokesman Alan Etter.
Fire officials were working with a contractor to shore up the building to make it safe so investigators could sift through the debris for clues.
“It could take a number of days to figure out a timeline of what happened,” Etter said. “Nothing has been ruled out.”
Damage estimates for the building and the Meridian Hill Baptist Church next door were in the millions of dollars, Etter said.
It was the District’s first five-alarm fire in 29 years, the last occurring on March 31, 1979, at the old Kann’s department store in the 700 block of D Street NW.
Firefighters continued to assist residents, going into the stable parts of the south side of the building to pick up clothing, medicine, eye glasses and other important items.
Victims of the fire were relocated to the Best Western Hotel on South Capitol and I streets SW through Saturday night, according to Councilman Jim Graham‘s office. City officials and community workers are helping to find semi-permanent housing for the displaced tenants until the building is refurbished and they can move back in.
