New information has surfaced on the basement fire that destroyed 3318 Prospect St. last October and resulted in the death of Daniel Rigby (MSB ‘05). According to a revised incident report by the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department filed in December, the October 17 fire was ignited by “heat from other open flame or smoking materials.”
The blaze was not an electrical fire caused by basement furnace wiring, as was originally thought. The December report confirms that Rigby died of smoke inhalation while asleep. Secondary reports are standard FEMS practice in the case of fatalities.
Alan Etter, FEMS spokesman, stated that an electric lamp, candle and “an ashtray full of cigarettes” were present at the fire.
“[The fire inspectors] were able to rule out any electrical ignition,” Etter said.
Wesley Hamilton, the fire inspector who filed the original report, was not authorized to comment, but Richard Rowe (SFS ‘05), Rigby’s housemate, claimed that the six housemates had established a no-smoking rule and that they owned only enclosed candles.
The initial suspicion of an electrical fire provoked a rush of public inspections to ensure the safety of student off-campus housing. The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs initiated the Georgetown Inspection Project on October 19, which went door to door to 93 houses in and around the 3200 and 3400 blocks of Prospect St., though they only were able to gain access to 32. Six have been shut down temporarily until safety violations are resolved.
DCRA spokeswoman Gwen Davis reported that there has been no significant change in demand for inspections since the publication of the updated report. There have been, however, 53 requests for Basic Business Licenses, which are required for D.C. landlords to offer rental housing and include a mandatory inspection, for Georgetown homes since October 19. Eighty-eight rental properties were suspected of not having the required licenses at the time of the fire.
Rowe asserted his belief that the cause of ignition was inconsequential. “To me, whether [the candle or cigarettes] caused it or whether electricity caused it is irrelevant,” he said.
Rowe emphasized that the fire was an accident and that accidents will continue to happen, but efforts should be made to make the houses as safe as possible. Rowe said that Carolyn Channave, the owner of the house, who lives in Florida, had not visited the house in four years, even as conditions became unsafe in her absence.
“The fact is that there were bars on the windows on the basement,” Rowe said.
Etter confirmed that the house violated D.C.’s fire code due to the lack of a secondary means of ext. Rowe said he is primarily concerned that the revised report will reduce the focus on the safety of off-campus housing because, while the house burned due to its disrepair, the fire itself was not caused by the poor condition of the house.
“I don’t want this to take away from the safety concerns,” Rowe said.
Rowe and the University agree that communication is critical to prevent future fatal accidents, such as befell his former residence.
“Me knowing about this is useless; you’ve got to tell the freshmen and sophomores,” Rowe said.
He also proposed that more stringent requirements be applied to landlords who are listed on Georgetown’s off-campus website and for housing safety to be a prominent topic during New Student Orientation.
“Some of the people are basically slumlords,” he said.
Laura Cavender, University Spokesperson, said that the University will continue to educate students about fire and safety issues, as well as to coordinate with relevant city agencies, such as the DCRA, to help keep students safe.
