WASHINGTON -- Two D.C. firefighters filed a lawsuit against the D.C. Fire Department saying the investigation into that eastern market fire was botched and they were demoted because of it.
Gregory Bowyer and Gerald Pennington claim there's a culture of mismanagement and abuse of authority in the department.
"We live this every day, and it's hard to express in words what we deal with each and every day in the D.C. Fire Department as members who put our lives on the line for you," Bowyer said.
The fire department denied the claims.
"The allegations made by Gregory Bowyer and Gerald Pennington are completely baseless," Fire Chief Dennis Rubin said. "In fact, the Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigation also determined that the cause and origin of the Eastern Market and Mount Pleasant fires cannot be determined at this time. We've referred this matter to the office of the inspector general for investigation and are confident that it too will conclude that these allegations are meritless."
