Damages seem limited to roof in District high school fire

A two-alarm fire at Eastern High School in Northeast Washington on Sunday afternoon was limited to the rooftop and probably caused minimal damage to the main school building, which is undergoing a $76 million reconstruction effort.

Fire officials received numerous calls from Capitol Hill residents about 4:30 p.m., with reports of heavy black smoke rising from the school's roof on East Capitol Street. A second alarm was called about 15 minutes later, bringing roughly 100 firefighters to the scene, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

When firefighters arrived, they found a section of rubberized material covering more than 75 square feet of the roof ablaze. Piringer said the material is petroleum-based and creates flames and smoke when ignited. The flames were extinguished within 15 to 20 minutes.

The fire was contained to the roof, and Piringer said he does not expect much damage to the school, as the material was being installed on top of concrete.

Construction crews were working on the site Sunday, but all were able to evacuate without injury. The area of the school near where the fire occurred has been unoccupied during renovations.

Police temporarily shut down 17th and 18th streets along East Capitol Street while the fire was brought under control. The cause is under investigation.