125 firefighters battle flames in Embassy of Ecuador

A roof fire at the Embassy of Ecuador was highly visible on Wednesday morning. (Courtesy Julia Visentin)
(Courtesy Julia Visentin)
Here’s a look at the fire from the street. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS) (Courtesy Julia Visentin)
(Courtesy Julia Visentin)
Here’s a look at the scene from the street. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS) (Courtesy Julia Visentin)
The pitched roof presented a challenge for firefighters. (Courtesy D.C. Fire and EMS) (Courtesy Julia Visentin)
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WASHINGTON — About 125 D.C. firefighters put out a fire at the Embassy of Ecuador around midnight on Wednesday.

The fire, discovered by D.C. emergency medical services personnel, was highly visible around the region.

The fire was difficult to fight because of the buildings older structure, high ceilings and pitched roof, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for D.C. Fire & EMS.

The embassy is a large, four-story building located on 15th and Euclid Streets. The fire appeared to be confined to the attic and the roof of the building.

Once the fire was extinguished, which took about 45 minutes to an hour, firefighters continued dealing with hot spots and pockets of fire. At approximately 2:30 a.m., more units were called in to relieve the crews that initially responded. Firefighters brought the fire under control by around 4:30 a.m.

Two firefighters were taken to the hospital for evaluation but did not suffer serious injuries, Maggiolo said.

No one was inside at the time of the fire.

Firefighters briefed embassy officials on the cause of the fire. Maggiolo said it did not involve anything “nefarious.”

Below is a map of the general area.

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