NOTE: This post is a departure from our usual satire, and covers a real, breaking news event.
Courtesty Twitter user @thetbone41: “no more flames, but looks like plenty of damage”
DCFD reports that Webb Elementary School is on fire, and our man on the scene confirms DCFD is battling an active two-alarm fire with heavy smoke on the first floor.
UPDATE: the fire appears to be pretty heavy, and the firefighters’ union reports DCFD is setting up multiple large hose lines (seen in the 3rd photo below) and is preparing for exterior ladder pipes to help battle this blaze.
UPDATE: After posting the below photos, a local resident retweeted the link & ANC 5b08 Commissionar Laskaris insightfully noted that the photos are “photos of police cars”. We have no word as to whether or not the ANC has been successful in answering residents’ pleas to have the DC government secure the building properly. Some residents have practically begged for information on the site and raised concerns for many months over potential security issues. The school is located in ANC5B07, represented by Commissioner Hooper.
UPDATE: ANC5B08 Commissioner Laskaris reports that Bladensburg Rd is now closed near Denny’s to accommodate another fire engine working the fire, requiring hoses run from Bladensburg Rd.
UPDATE: The firefighters’ union (IAFF Local 36) reports that the visible fire is out, only 45 minutes or so after the alarm first sounded. Firefighters continue to work on hot spots, but thanks to the brave firefighters for their hard work in taking care of this very dangerous situation.
UPDATE: Twitter user @thetbone41 corroborates that the visible fire is out, and sent the totally sweet photo (as sweet as it can be, given the bad news) at the top of the post.
That’s crazy, we drove past today, saw the guy living on the stoop nearest Kennys and wondered how many squatters had made a home inside. Any word on the cause?
No word yet on the cause, but many local residents have pleaded with the city for a long time to better secure the building.
Yes, but a new sandwich and crepes shop opened up in Petworth? Do you have any more information about that? Were you able to roast SMORES by the fire? If not, which city council member prevented you, and where can we sign a change.org protest to make sure that they allow us to roast SMORES at any fire with an alarm number under three?
NBC4 is on the scene this morning – just had an update at 6am – notes “sagging” brick around windows. Firefighters still on the scene – concerned about possible collapse.
Also reporting that neighbors reported seeing people in building 30 minutes before fire.
Sorry, Trinidad.
Here are the posts from the Trinidad Neighborhood Association’s blog regarding the school.
Members of the neighborhood association have spent months pleading with the mayor’s Department of General Services (DGS) for information regarding what would happen with this property.
DGS dropped the ball many times, failing to notify neighbors of meetings, pulling discussion of the school from a meeting at literally the last minute. Someone at DGS should lose their job for letting this get to this point. It’s shameful, but there’s minimal oversight over this agency, and minimal care for a part of the neighborhood with very little voice in the eyes of the JAWB.
[...] Webb Elementary burns (Crime Scene, WUSA-TV, ToT, [...]