Article: Fire Clues Still Inaccessible; Instability of D.C. Apartment Building Delays Start of Close Investigation

D.C. fire investigators remain unable to start a hands-on examination into the massive blaze that tore through a Mount Pleasant apartment building because much of the structure is on the verge of collapse, officials said yesterday.

The fire, which left about 200 people homeless early Thursday, ravaged the left side of the building, wrecking nearly everything but the facade, said Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin. The right side of the building was mostly spared.

"The left side of the building is almost gone, devastation is almost complete," Rubin said.

A contractor is working to shore up the facade so investigators can get inside to learn what caused the first five-alarm fire in the District in ...

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