Electrical Fire Prompts Evacuations at The W DC
It was not quite the fun-filled Saturday night that guests of the W Hotel and Willard Intercontinental Hotel in Washington, DC had in mind--although there were some sparks. An electrical fire broke out at around 8pm at 1400 block of F Street NW where both hotels are located. It appears a transformer below the sidewalk had blown out, causing the fire.
The hotels, both of which have over 300 rooms and are just blocks away from the White House, were evacuated immediately and a wedding reception scheduled for the Willard was moved to a nearby JW Marriott. The Washington Examiner reports:
Some 150 firemen converged on the blaze, dousing the W Hotel and an attached building with water to prevent damage, said [D.C. fire department spokesman Pete] Piringer.
Fortunately, no one was hurt and neither hotel was damaged. Power was restored to the area around 10pm that night and guests returned to their hotels around 11pm. There's no word on if the hotels gave the guests anything for their troubles but we're hoping at least a free cocktail was offered to soothe their nerves.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/lo...#ixzz0wjsqljXD
The Willard's director of public relations, Barbara Bahny, wrote in with this official statement:
"We want to once again thank our guests for their patience and cooperation during Saturday night's evacuation. We appreciate the many positive guest comments on our Willard InterContinental staff's professionalism. The DC Fire department was swift in response to the Pepco emergency and thankfully every one was fine and the building unharmed."
Bahny also said that the incident will be added to the annals of the hotel's 150-year history. Apparently, in 1861, during the Civil War, the building next to the Willard caught fire and fire fighters/acrobats from New York called the Zouves helped saved the Willard from catching fire too. You can read all about it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/1861/05/11/ne...willard-s.html