Fragers’ Fire Aftermath – Photos

View of Fragers’ from Pennsylvania Avenue at 6:40am Thursday

Fragers’ Hardware, June 6, 2013, 6:40am

Fragers’ Hardware, June 6, 2013, 6:45am

Fragers’ Hardware, June 6, 2013, 6:45am

Fragers’ Hardware. Established 1920

Fragers’ Fire Aftermath – Photos

by Larry Janezich

“As late as 8:00 a.m. this morning, water was still being put on the Fragers’ fire,” according to DC Fire Department (DCFD) public information officer Tim Wilson.  Wilson said that the cause of the fire had not been determined and that once there were no more “hot pockets” on site and it was relatively safe to enter, the Fire Marshal (a deputy chief) and his team would enter the site to begin an investigation.   The team will initially identify how the fire started and that will “determine the best course of action.”

Wilson said he believed the DCFD was alerted to the fire by a 911 call, as opposed to an alarm on site.  Three firefighters received minor injuries in fighting the blaze and would be released from the hospital today, if they had not been released already.  Wilson said he did not know if the building had alarms or smoke detectors or if it was equipped with alarms that would notify DCFD directly in case of a fire.

The Fragers’ fire was a four alarm fire which eventually involved more than 200 firefighters on site and dozens of emergency vehicles.  Fires are ranked from one to five with a typical fire being a one alarm fire and each additional alarm representing an additional request for assistance.  Wilson said that the last five alarm fire he could recall was a 2008 five alarm fire involving the four story Deauville apartment building in Mount Pleasant.  The Eastern Market fire of 2007 was a three alarm fire.