The following notice was sent to Washington Post staffers over the weekend:

For anyone who hasn't heard yet, our friend and colleague Mike Shepard's house burned on Saturday night. Mike and his family were not at home at the time, thank goodness. But it appears that the house is pretty much gutted.

Just wanted to pass this along so that everyone is aware of what happened and of the fact that the Shepard family is safe.

And then:

Mike Shepard wants to thank everyone for their offers of help. He said his ins co sent a restoration crew to his house and they are trying to salvage clothes etc. The house is currently off limits to non-professionals, but a city bldg inspector will ck the structure at noon today and after that other people may be allowed in. At that point, mike would love to take people up on their offers to help pull stuff out of the house. The back of the house, including the kitchen, is gone. His ins co has given him a housing allowance and he is searching now for a place to move, possibly by mon. Vince Bzdek and his family were w/ Mike, Sonia, Thomas last night, providing clothes, groceries, support etc wh mike says was a huge help.