Engine fires in two D.C. fire department ambulances, which are now the subject of a police investigation, were probably caused by malfunctions or by shoddy repair attempts, according to internal incident reports, reports The Washington Post.
Fire department investigators concluded that one of Tuesday’s fires was accidental and that the other, which occurred the same day, was not a full-fledged fire, just smoke pouring from under the hood. The reports were completed before a deputy mayor last week ordered D.C. police to take over the investigation in order to ensure that “nothing untoward is occurring.”
District officials said the conclusions by fire investigators do not represent the final results of a criminal probe that police expect will take some time. They also said the findings do not preclude the possibility of tampering intended to make the fires appear accidental.
The president of firefighters union Local 36, Edward C. Smith, called the request for a police inquiry an underhanded way of accusing firefighters of sabotaging equipment during a vehement labor dispute.
“I think it was irresponsible for the deputy mayor to make those allegations,” Smith said. “I think the city needs to issue us a formal apology. I’m confident there was nothing done that was untoward.”
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