A fire overtook a mansion owned by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Northern Virginia on Saturday morning.
Six people were able to escape, and two dogs were rescued safely from the $2.7 million mansion in McLean, so that no one was injured.
However, the five-bedroom, six-bathroom house appears to be destroyed, as firefighters were still spraying down the blaze three hours after arriving at the scene.
It took firefighters over 12 hours to fully douse the blaze, reported WJLA.
Two men who lived there believe that the fire started in the kitchen, and said that the fire seemed small and contained.
Fire and Rescue couldn’t enter the home’s remains until the fire was fully extinguished, as the free-standing brick walls and two chimneys posed a hazard, according to Paul Ruwe, a deputy chief with the Fairfax County and fire Rescue.
Five men were living in the home, in addition to three employees. Almansouri said that one of the men works for the embassy, but is not the ambassador.
There was a 30-minute delay in hosing out the flames, and Ruwe, the deputy fire chief, said to the Post that is because the distant hydrant was ‘way outside the realm of possibility’.
He explained that it is not unusual for some areas to have a lackluster hydrant system, and so it took time to set up a relay system to supply proper water volume and pressure in the hoses.
Ruwe said that a far off hydrant: ‘adds a complexity to the event, but it doesn’t prevent us from doing our job’.
Residents on the street have expressed concern with county officials about a lack of hydrants in a neighborhood full of multimillion-dollar homes. Many are on wells because pipes haven’t been extended to them, reported the Washington Post.
Five men were living in the home, in addition to three employees. Almansouri said that one of the men works for the embassy, but is not the ambassador.
There was a 30-minute delay in hosing out the flames, and Ruwe, the deputy fire chief, said to the Post that is because the distant hydrant was ‘way outside the realm of possibility’.
He explained that it is not unusual for some areas to have a lackluster hydrant system, and so it took time to set up a relay system to supply proper water volume and pressure in the hoses.
Ruwe said that a far off hydrant: ‘adds a complexity to the event, but it doesn’t prevent us from doing our job’.
Residents on the street have expressed concern with county officials about a lack of hydrants in a neighborhood full of multimillion-dollar homes.
Many are on wells because pipes haven’t been extended to them, reported the Washington Post.
