Photo by Claudia Holwill
Early this morning the DC Fire Department responded to reports of flames coming from the roof of Hanks on the Hill, located at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE. According to NBC4, one person suffered minor injuries. Firefighters have not indicated what started the fire, or how extensive the damage is.
Walking by this morning, it did not appear that there was any fire damage in the restaurant, but given that I was only able to look through the window, we cannot be sure until we hear back from the ownership at Hanks. In the meantime, I am hoping for the best. Hanks has been one of my favorite additions to the Hill since it opened last summer, and they had planned to stay open for extended hours throughout the upcoming inauguration weekend.
We will share more information as we receive it.
Update: According to The Washington Post, Chef Jamie Leeds said that the damage was only on the roof but they will be closed for a few days.
Update: From Hanks Oyster Bar’s Facebook page: “Yes, it’s true, early this morning there was a small fire at Hank’s on the Hill. Firstly, we are thankful NO ONE WAS HURT. The restaurant suffered minimal damage. We want to say, thank you to the DCFD for their rapid response. We are so grateful for the all the support from our neighbors and patrons. We will be shucking for you all soon!”
Many of the neighbors on D Street watched this unfold at 2am and some had called 911 early on. It was horrible to watch and given what we saw last night it was incredible to see the dining room in as good as shape as it was this am.
Several of the other businesses around sustained damage. My heart goes out to the Hanks team who have worked so hard to build such a great business and see it take such a hit. For sure without the daring and swift response of DCFD this would have been WAY worse.