Cafritz Family Copes After Massive Fire

Nearly a week after fire gutted her Northwest D.C. mansion, Peggy Cooper Cafritz says she still can't come to grips with what happened.

"I'm just getting to the emotional reality," she said.

The well-known art lover and former D.C. School Board president lost her home after a massive fire last Wednesday night. Her near-priceless African art collection was destroyed along with other valuable items.

"I also had a smaller Latino collection and even smaller Asian collection, but it was important," Cafritz said.

Her home of nearly 23 years had been a backdrop for social and political gatherings, and served as a type of gallery for well-known and up-and-coming artists. Cafritz says she hasn't come to grips with what happened, but is trying to stay strong.

"We'll always find the light, you know," she told FOX 5. "We went through an exercise of looking through the plural of 'phoenix' and we found it, and it's 'phoenixes' and as I told others, that's exactly who my children and I are and will be."

Cafritz and her family were at Martha's Vineyard when they got the call. Since then, they have been staying with neighbors while investigators continue to search for a cause for the fire.

City leaders are asking why firefighters couldn't get enough water pressure from the hydrants in the Chain Bridge Road area. It caused serious delays in fighting the blaze.

A neighbor told FOX 5 that water pressure has been an ongoing problem and a concern. On Monday evening, FOX 5 found WASA crews hard at work near Chain Bridge Road fixing one of at least two hydrants that had been out of service.

The Cafritz mansion and its contents were worth millions, but for now Cafritz says she can't think about rebuilding. She's still trying to wrap her arms around the fire, but is grateful for neighbors and friends who are helping her through this tough time.

WASA says there are 10,000 hydrants in D.C., and less than 150 are out of service. Mayor Fenty is promising answers about the water pressure issue in this case.