Area Had Enough Water In D.C. Blaze, Study Says

Alan Heymann, a senior speechwriter in the mayor's office, said that the sentence stating that the Adams Morgan water mains lacked adequate flow for fighting fires was incorrect and that only hydrants within the area immediately around the Avalon performed unsatisfactorily.

That refinement still seemed at odds with the WASA report, which did not include Adams Morgan among the three areas of the city that it says lack hydrants capable of providing adequate fire protection. Only one of those areas has development: Mayfair Parkside NE, a residential community on the eastern edge of the Anacostia River.

WASA used modeling to reach its conclusions, according to its report.

The water agency said that in all other areas, hydrants connected to small water mains should provide at least 1,000 gallons of water a minute in a 1,000-foot radius, a fire protection standard.

On the western side of Mayfair Parkside, firefighters would have to unfurl their hoses 2,200 feet to reach adequate water.

"The question is whether there is adequate fire flow within a reasonable distance of six-inch mains" across the city, Johnson said. "The answer is yes."

When asked for further explanation of several conclusions, Heymann said that "the information is within the report."