you may remember these images, flames ripping through the home of former school board chair peggy cooper cafritzit happened on july 29th on chain bridge road in northwest. news 4's kimberly suiters is following this story first on 4. good morning. >> good morning. this morning, the cafritz property is still fenced off. a d.c. police officer sits out front, standing guard as does a fire department mobile command unit. the smell of smoke still lingers in the air. last week, flames devoured the former school board chair's home and her vast art collection on chain bridge road in northwest. fire crews ran hoses to hydrants blocks away. they said they couldn't get proper water pressure close to the fire. other neighbors had complained of low water pressure in the past. wasa now denies that those kind of complaints had any impact on the way hydrants operate. in the meantime, when news 4 talked to mrs. cafritz, she did not touch on those issues. instead, talking about how people around the world, especially her neighbors and even d.c. residents she doesn't know, are helping her get by. >> i want you to

the fire on peggy cooper cafritz july 29 debt swap to the cooper has left neighbors with a lot of what ifs. >> we had to stay here and watch it burn down. it is ridiculous. >> firefighters look too low water pressure. if they didn't waste time bringing in water from hydrants in other neighborhoods, could the home have been salvaged? >> it is a definite concern. >> neighbors say a lack of water pressure has been a problem for the past year. it is common in higher elevations. they will figure out what exactly happened. >> we have people testing the system right now. >> the upkeep of the fire hydrants has been a big concern for the past couple of years after a fire at the georgetown library. they are in the process of replacing the aging fight -- the aging fire hydrants. there is a press conference at 9:00 this morning. pamela brown, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> 8 veteran firefighter is off of a job and facing a serious charges. police say he tried to solicit sex from someone he thought was a teenage girl. wayne mothershead answered an ad on craigslist that was actually an undercover off

the house on chain bridge road belongs to peggy cooper cafritz. the final report is expected in a few weeks. >>> now you can social network on just about any cell phone. laura evans is back with the fox 5 top five. >> this is really good news for people who don't have smart phones. number five tonight, if you're jonessing for twitter and facebook on the go but don't want to pay for a smart phone, microsoft is now launching one ap. that software allows people with regular cell phones to use programs like facebook and windows live messenger. sony is unveiling its you e- book reader as a direct rival of amazon's kendall. sony's version will offer wireless downloads, be able to get book, daily newspapers and other reading materl. you can look for the daily readtory hit the market in december for about $399. number three, another reason to eat healthy and stay in shape. a new study finds obese people have 8% less brain tissue than people of normal weight. doctors say the loss of that much tissue puts you at greater risk of alzheimer's disease. number t

last week, flames engulfed former schooloard president peggy cooper cafritz's house on cambridge road in northwest washington. news 4 has learned that washington area sewer authority found in problem with water pressure in the area. this was believed to have played a role in the firefighters' response time for extinguish the flames. >> virginia kicks off its annual back to school holiday tax-free day. walmart stores are also absorbing the sales tax on electronics. the deals last through sunday. >> secretary of state hillary clinton has arrived in the south african capital of johannesburg south africa is the second stop of clinton's african tour. she traveled to johannesburg from kenya where she me with the embattled president of somalia on thursday. she pledged strong support for somalia. >> the labor department is set to release its july unemployment report today. last week the number of laid-off workers seeking jobless benefits fell. it's a sign the job market is making gradual improvements. economists are expecting job losses to slow in the coming months. >> okay, coffee lovers, st

the fireen gulf of mexicoed the home of peggy caper cooper cafritz. but they say the hydrants were pumping out as much water as they could for the water main that serves the street. the fire chief said greater water pressure ulnod wot veha been likely to douse the flames before the flames gutted the home. there is still no cause of the fire. >>> the government has issued new guidelines for public schools to deem with the swine flu this -- to deal with the swine flu this fall. they should only close if large numbers of students have the swine flu and sick kids can return 24 hours after the fever is gone. >>> a veteran firefighter off the job and facing charges. police say the firefighter used his county e-mail to solicit sex from what he thought 16 woeaa 16-year-old. roby chavez has the story. >> reporter: the veteran and high ranking firefighter was busted here in the middle of the parking lot at the holbrook shopping center in gaithersburg. montgomery county police say it's clear 44-year-old wayne mothershead came here to have sex with someone he tho

peggy cooper cafritz's house was destroyed last wednesday night. one month earlier, that house and the priceless art collection inside, were featured in oprah's magazine. with everything gone, cafritz said she hopes to start a new art collection, but first she has some other priorities. >> will i continu to collect art? well, right now, i have to think about getting my kids some shoes for school. but when my head is calm and -- and when i can, you know, again, embrace the beauty of that, i'm sure i will attend to it. >> cafritz did not want to talk about concerns about water pressure in that neighborhood. firefighters said the lack of pressure hindered their ability to put out that fire. >>> the police in frederick county in maryland are trying to figure out who torched part of a football field. investigators say somebody burned the artificial turf at middletown hike school using lighter fluid. they did that earlier this morning. you can see the damage near the 50 yard line there. the artificial turf field is brand new. the damage could cost up to

the fire on july 29 swept through the home of peggy cooper cafritz has left neighbors with a lot of what ifs. fire officials point to a lack of water pressure as their reason for taking nearly two hours to battle the flames. if they did not waste time bringing water in, could the home have been salvaged? >> it is a definite concern. >> neighbors say a lack of water pressure has been a problem. it is common in higher elevations. they will work closely to figure out what happened. >> we have people testing the system right now. we are in investigation mode. >> this has been a concern for the past couple of years. the georgetown library erupted in france -- in flames. there was a condo complex in adams morgan with the same problem. they are in the process of replacing the aging fire hydrants. there will be a press conference at 9:00 a.m. with mayor fenty. pamela brown, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> a veteran firefighter is off the job and facing charges after police say he tried to solicit sex from a teenage girl online. when mothershead -- wayne mothershead was arrested after arranging to

the blaze destroyed the home of peggy cooper cafritz. city officials are expected to release a report at 9:00 this morning. >>> this is the weekend to do your back-to-school shopping. the virginia pocks tax-free holiday begins today. >> retailers have been working all summer long to get folks in the door. commonwealth is giving folks an extra 5% off. no taxes. check out tysons corner last year. >> you can see a lot of money. >> andrea came all the way from baltimore. worth the extra gas money, she says. >> it will work out. >> virginia's back-to-school holiday runs now through sunday. clothing priced less than $100 and school supplies less than $20 are affected. other states and the district are pulling back on the benefit. >> you have to park and shop more. >> the district put its august holiday on the chopping block, sitting pieces -- saving the city $640,000. >> i did not think it is a good way to attract people to purchase in the district. >> you know " will likely be coming across the river. maryland also canceled their tax free hol

flames engulfed peggy cooper cafritz home in northwest.ressure hampered firefighter's efforts to battle the fire. no word on what sparked it. the mayor and city officials will release a preliminary report on that fire at 9:00 a.m. >>> fire investigator have found a cause for a deadly explosion in southeast. this happened may 20th and nine days later vernon mccoy died from his injuries. investigators say a possible ground fault energized an improperly grounded furnace causing natural gas to build up. when mccoy opened his door to the basement the gas caused the explosion. >>> two days after they arrived back in america, we are learning more about the two american journalists who had been jailed in north korea. lisa ling says her sister laura told her that she and una lee did briefly touch north korean soil before they were captured. laura ling is still weak and emotional but happy to be home with her family. lisa ling says her 4-year-old daughter has been following her mother around the house from room to room since she returned home. >>> j

peggy cooper cafritz lost everything, including a vast collection of near priceless art. the former school board president says the inferno destroyed their home but will not ruin their lives. >> i'm just getting to the emotional reality of what really happened. we'll always find the light. we went through an exercise for looking up the word of phoenix and that's exactly who my children and i are and will be. >> poor water pressure at hydrants hampered the efforts to put out the fire. the mayor has ordered a report on what caused the problem. >>> it is now 7:21 on this tuesday morning and we are expecting a major announcement today in just about an hour concerning transit expansion. >> coming up next, the latest on the proposed purple line. >>> and also ahead this morning, why a trip to the post office may require extra travel time soon, as soon as the fall perhaps. local post offices that may be closing. >>> coming up holly is making bread in burke, virginia. coming up next. it's 7:22 now.  >>> bright have to drive farther to get to a post office as they

flames engulfed the home of peggy cooper cafritz on chambers road in northwest washington a low water pressure problem hampered firefighters' efforts to battle the fire. d.c. mayor adrian fenty along with wasa and other city officials will release a preliminary report on that fire later today. >>> everyone is looking to save a little cash right now and this weekend also good time to income out some of the back to school shopping. virginia's sales tax holiday is today through sunday. certain school supplies under $0 and clothing and shoes under $100 tax-free. more on what is covered an what isn't is all available on myfoxdc.com, our web site under web links. d.c. and maryland canceled their tax-free shopping days this year because of the economy. >>> coming up next, reports that i major taliban leader has been killed in pakistan. >>> a living piece of history passes away. meunchers in england saying good-bye to a man with an amazing story to tell.  it's quiet on the home front-- of act u mournersre ad thein england say mourn ares in england saying good-bye tie man with an amaz

home was on chain bridge road, owned by peggy cooper cafritz. this morning, mayor fenty and wasa chairman and others will hold a news conference to release their findings. we'll have complete coverage on- line and on our midday news. >>> the other involves the economy as new unemployment numbers are due out today. report from the labor department is expected to show job losses slowing in july as the recession appears to wind down. still, unemployment is expected to end up to 9.6% as nearly 15 million unemployed people are still looking for work. >>> now that congress has given the green light to the cash for clunkers program, the bill heads to the president's desk. there was a $2 $2 billion cash infusion. >> the reason we were able to succeed was because consumers and the american people really liked this program. >> we know that this will be a great weekend to go out and buy an automobile. i would hope it is an american- made automobile. >> notten thinks cash for clunkers should continue though. opponents say adding an extra $2 bill wrong is ju

a 15,000 square-foot home filled with millis of dollars of art work collected for years by peggy cooper cafritz. >> what was most striking upon arriving at the scene, was that the first floor was almost entirely engulfein flames. >> reporter: fire department officials say the lavish mansion did not have an interior sprinkler system that might have helped ease the damage. >> we would always encourage residents to have sprinkler systems, the right and safe thing to do any neighborhood. >> reporter: but the mayor said the isolated and hilly chain bridge road area was the major factor, too, along with outdated water mains. >> the water main on chain bridge road is 75 years old. there are no side streets to go off of. the street goes all the way through. no side streets on either direction. >> reporter: mayor fenty stopped short of blaming either the fire department or the city's water agency. two agencies that have feuded in the past over preparedness. the review of the fire is continuing. news4 asked the mayor if the chain bridge neighborhood is safe now, if another fire breaks out. >> the short a

school board president peggy cooper cafritz owned this home that went up in flames last week. a month earlier, the house and her priceless a collection were featured in oprah's magazine. with everything gone, cafritz sayshe hopes to start a new art collection. >> will i continue to collect art? well, right now, i have to think about getting my kids some shoes for school. but when my head is calm and when i can, you know, again embrace the butte identify that, i'm sure i will attend to it. >> cafritz did not want to address concerns about the water pressure in the neighborhood. firefighters say a lack of water pressure hindered their ability to put out the flames. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. >>> a fire inside a prince george's county fire station is raising new questions about staffing issues among firefighters. a fire truck caught fire yesterday morning inside the alton street station in capitol heights. only two firefighters were on duty at the station, and it took eight minutes for the other firefighters from another station to arrive and help. by that

the fire destroyed a home owned by peggy cooper cafritz. carol! denise! you've lost weight!is fiber one yogurt. (mr. mehta) it has five grams of fiber zero fat, and fifty calories. please, this is too creamy and delicious. it's true, only fifty calories. i am adding this to my list. here it is. (announcer) go to fiberoneyogurt.com for valuable coupons. ÑÑxa >>> good morning. mperature 69 in washingto with low humidity. it's in the 60s now from the shenandoah valley to the atlantic beaches, the low humidity in place with highs in the mid 80s and a few high clouds. tomorrow nea 90 partly cloudy getting more humid saturday night and humidity sunday, monday and tuesday. >> the drive in on 66 struggling to recover from an accident. the lanes are open toward the beltway. at the wilson bridge, no hangups, looking good. beltway north of town this type of morning it's jammed not so much this morning. minimal delays from about university boulevard on the outer loop west over toward georgia avenue. >> thank you, jerry. tonight, a dangerous scenario during pregnancy. ♪ >>> 8:30 now on