Posted May 11, 2007.

Liability for Georgetown Branch Fire Contested

The engineering firm managing the renovation of the District of Columbia Public Library’s Georgetown branch claimed May 10 that its workers were not responsible for a fire that destroyed the building’s roof and second floor. Ebenezer Adewunmi, president of the Hyattsville, Maryland–based Dynamic Corporation, claims his crew was working on the opposite side of the building when the blaze broke out around noon April 30, the Washington Post reported May 11.

D.C. Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin had said in the May 4 Post that someone using a heat gun to remove paint probably started the fire, although he did not name the construction firm specifically. Adewunmi said his investigation showed that Dynamic contractors were using wire brushes, not heat guns, on the windows, and that a DCPL staff member could have started the fire accidentally.

DCPL spokesperson Monica Lewis told the Post she had no knowledge of any library staff performing maintenance work in the attic at the time.

“We know an open heat source caused the fire,” said Alan Etter, spokesperson for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. “Whoever was up there, I don’t know.” He added that investigators believe someone tried unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire, which burned for up to 15 minutes before 911 was called.

Posted May 11, 2007.