Evening star., 1940-04-02
FIRE
CONTINUED From First Page)

H. Roche. fire escape inspector, has
been ordered to report on location
of chimney in the building, with
relation to closets. Jess j. Kimball.
chief field building inspector, has
been assigned to look over the lay
out of the building again and COM
pare this to plans for remodeling
which were submitted to the build
ing inspector in 1925.
Survey Proposal Recalled.
Maj. Tansey pointed out at this
mornings meeting that the Fire
Survey Board. of which he is chair
man, had urged that the District re-
quest the National Board of Fire
Underwriters to conduct a survey of
fire hazards in the District. This
suggestion was made last fall, but
no action has been taken on it.
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald
said he had requested copies of Mr.
Lauber's report, along with informa-
ton gathered by Homicide Squad
detectives and by Col. Oehmann.
If these reports indicate the pos
sibility of criminal negligence, the
coroner said, he will call an inquest
in the three deaths.
Col. Oehmann was preparing his
own report today on the condition
of the structure-a report which
will point out that certain deviations
from approved plans were made
when the old stable was remodeled
into an apartment house in 1925
On Capitol Hill demands for an
inquiry into. fire regulations in the
District were heard yesterday. Rep
resentative Bolles, Republican, of
Wisconsin urged that the District
Committee conduct an investiga-
ton into what he termed the failure
of local officials to eliminate fire
hazards.
Local organizations joined in the
demand for Tightening of fire regu-
lations. The Washington Industrial
Union Council and executives of the
Washington Housing League and
the Washington Housing Associa-
tion asked that the laws be strength
ened and enforced more closely.
Four Alarms Sounded.
The blaze. which was discovered
about 2:20 am. yesterday, swept
through the old building within a
few minutes, routing tenants who
occupied the Al units and causing
four fire alarms to be sounded.
The last of the three dead was
identified late yesterday as Miss
Carrie Dunahue, candy-maker.
Relatives viewed the charred body
at the District Morgue and made
the identification. Miss Dunahue
was the only resident of the build
ing who remained unaccounted for
after the fire.
The others dead were Michael
Jones. SO, and Mrs. Dorothy Hais-
lip. 46, an Interstate Commerce
Commission telephone operator. Mr..
| Jones died in a fall as he sought
escape from the building and Mrs.
Haislip, widow, was found dead in
the burned building.
Two of the five persons injured re-
manned in serious condition at
Emergency Hospital today. They
were Mrs. Jones, widow of one of
the victims, who suffered back in
juries in a fall. and Miss Elizabeth
Manley, 40, who received third de-
gree burns. The others injured, and
released after treatment, were Mr..
and Mrs. Joseph James and Henry
E. Roberts, an uncle of Mrs. Jones.
Chimney Structure Studied.
The fire marshal's attention was di-
rected to the structure of the CHM
ney which ran up the center of the
building. Between this chimney
and the stairs there was space of
about S feet which Col. Oehmann
said had not been indicated in the
plans which were approved by the
office of the building superintendent.
Possibility that a loose brick In
the chimney had allowed spark to
filter into this space and start the
blaze was being considered.
Col. Oehmann pointed out that an
inspection six months ago had
shown the place was conforming
with fire regulations which gov
erned buildings constructed in 1925.
Fire regulations covering buildings
put up today are much stricter, he
said, and the place at 213l o street
NV. would not meet them. But
there is no way to make the 1910
regulations retroactive, Sc said.
| Aside from moving the chimney