Fire destroys home, collection of well-known D.C. arts patron Peggy Cooper Cafritz

Fire last night destroyed the mansion and art collection of D.C. arts patron Peggy Cooper Cafritz, and firefighters battling the blaze were hindered by problems with water pressure, The Washington Post reports this morning.

Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said it took nearly two hours to find a sustained stream strong enough to fight the fire. As firefighters unfurled lengths of hose that eventually spread for blocks, flames roared through the mansion’s windows and leapt through the roof, the Post reported.

There were similar problems in 2007 when broken fire hydrants were an issue in the response to a major blaze at the Georgetown library and an Adams Morgan condominium.

A spokeswoman for the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority, however, said last night’s fire in the exclusive Foxhall neighborhood stemmed from fire crews trying to use too many hydrants connected to the same small water main, rather than other hydrants available in the neighborhood, the Post reported.
“It’s like watching Tara burn down,“ said next-door neighbor Peter Gillon, describing Cafritz’s house as “a really priceless, beautiful piece of architecture.“

The fire destroyed Cafritz’s extensive art collection, which featured works by major artists as well as young prospects with an emphasis on Africans and African Americans. “The whole collection is up in flames,“ Gillon told the Post.

The art collection and home were recently featured in Oprah magazine.

WJLA-TV reported Cafritz was on vacation and no one was at home when the fire started. Two dogs were rescued.