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

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. [google_map latitude=”38.969073″ longitude=”-77.013206″ zoom=”13″ height=”300px” location_label=”Warehouse fire”]

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