Red Line delays may continue after DC warehouse fire affects Metro service

By Thursday morning, a warehouse fire that has burned for 15 hours has been reduced to "hot spots" according to D.C. Fire and EMS. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
By Thursday morning, a warehouse fire that has burned for 15 hours was reduced to “hot spots”, according to D.C. Fire and EMS. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
photo shows a fire hose spraying on a warehouse fire in DC
D.C. firefighters worked all night to contain a warehouse fire in the Takoma neighborhood. The fire started May 9, 2018 and continued to be fought May 10, 2018. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
The risk of the warehouse collapse caused the nearby Metro and CSX tracks to briefly halt service. It resumed a very short time later. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
The risk of the warehouse collapse caused the nearby Metro and CSX tracks to briefly halt service Wednesday. It resumed a very short time later. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
D.C. Fire and EMS said its crews conducted defensive attacks on the two-alarm fire. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
D.C. Fire and EMS said its crews conducted defensive attacks on the two-alarm fire. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
Fire crews responded to the fire at the warehouse in the 6500 block Chillum Place in Northwest around 3 p.m. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
Fire crews responded to the fire at the warehouse in the 6500 block Chillum Place in Northwest around 3 p.m. Wednesday. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
The warehouse is at risk of collapsing, D.C. Fire & EMS said Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Bill Crandall)
The warehouse is at risk of collapsing, D.C. Fire & EMS said Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Bill Crandall)
(Courtesy Bill Crandall)
(Courtesy Bill Crandall)
(Courtesy Bill Crandall)
(1/10)
By Thursday morning, a warehouse fire that has burned for 15 hours has been reduced to "hot spots" according to D.C. Fire and EMS. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
photo shows a fire hose spraying on a warehouse fire in DC
The risk of the warehouse collapse caused the nearby Metro and CSX tracks to briefly halt service. It resumed a very short time later. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
D.C. Fire and EMS said its crews conducted defensive attacks on the two-alarm fire. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
Fire crews responded to the fire at the warehouse in the 6500 block Chillum Place in Northwest around 3 p.m. (Courtesy DC Fire & EMS)
The warehouse is at risk of collapsing, D.C. Fire & EMS said Wednesday afternoon. (Courtesy Bill Crandall)

WASHINGTON — As fire officials mitigate concerns over damage to a wall at a Northwest D.C. warehouse fire, Metro is resuming Red Line train operations, but delays are expected Thursday.

D.C. Fire said in tweet Thursday night that they are working with a contractor to handle the collapse hazard at the warehouse that was impacting train traffic.

Several vehicles parked on the rooftop parking lot of the burning warehouse fell into the building after a partial roof collapse, but as of 5 p.m. Thursday, D.C. Fire and EMS said the blaze has been reduced to “hot spots inside the structure.”

Firefighters have not been able to enter District Properties Luxury Home Builders, in the 6500 block of Chillum Place NW, because the building is unstable, according to D.C. Fire officials. Firefighters have focused unmanned streams of water from atop extended ladders on fire, which has largely burned within the structure, which contains furniture, paper and other office supplies.

One firefighter received a minor injury early in the effort, but no others have been reported since the fire began in the 3 p.m. hour Wednesday. It forced Metro’s Red Line to not run through the area Wednesday.

Next door to the warehouse is a U.S. Post Office Distribution Center.

D.C. Fire said water has entered the facility, but fire did not spread there.

Stacey Lincoln, the local advisory neighborhood commissioner, said he has been informed mail delivery in ZIP codes 20010, 20012 and 20015 may be affected.

Earlier Thursday when trains were single-tracking, Deputy Fire Chief John Donnelly said, “We went back … and did [an] assessment, noticed some more movement in that wall, and it was our decision to talk to Metro and get to a single track to move the trains farther away from the building.”

He said they had determined how large of a collapse zone was needed and at the time, single-tracking was the best way to keep everyone safe.

“We want to make sure that there isn’t any danger to the people that are riding the rail,” Donnelly said.

Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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