Raw video: Two-alarm warehouse fire in Washington, DC.

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Video above from Vito Maggiolo of a fire Wednesday night in Washington, DC. Details below from Vito via DCFD.com (where you will also find photos of the fire from Elliot J. Goodman):

A second alarm assignment of DC firefighters spent Halloween night and the following morning battling a warehouse blaze in the Union Market complex of NE Washington.

The fire engulfed a two story structure at 1259 4th Street NE that housed a wholesale enterprise selling souvenir merchandise, and was reported around 10 PM. The building was packed to the gills with stock, providing a very heavy fire load and a dangerous maze for firefighters to maneuver in. Further complicating efforts to battle the fire was how tightly secured the warehouse was, making forcible entry and ventilation extremely difficult.

Despite these challenges, units initiated an interior attack, knocking down considerable fire on the first floor. However, the flames had already extended to engulf the floor above, forcing the incident commander to order the building evacuated.

 Photo by Elliot J. Goodman. Go to DCFD.com for more.

It than became an outside battle, utilizing Tower 3, a ladder pipe, and multiple stangs and 2.5 inch attack lines. The barrage of heavy duty devices battered the blaze for hours, but limited penetration was a problem, and flames continued to rage in the center portion of the structure, which continued to billow heavy smoke.

In order to facilitate the vast amount of water needed for the firefight, engines from the water supply task force assigned on the second alarm laid additional five inch hose to the scene.

There were attached, similar exposures on both sides, but a concerted effort prevented further spread.

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