According to an eyewitness, fire trucks have blocked off access to H Street NW between 6th and 7th Streets due to a report of a chimney fire at Ming's Restaurant. more ›

Capital Weather Gang passes along word that air quality in the District of Columbia could be negatively affected this weekend due to a week-old fire in North Carolina's Great Dismal Swamp which NASA says has produced a bunch of "dense smoke" that "irritates the eyes and respiratory system." Oh, goody. more ›

Smoke from the Pains Bay Wildfire in eastern North Carolina has been modeled to reach the D.C.-area. According to the North Carolina Division of Forestry, smoke from the fire, which has been burning since May 5 from a lightning strike, could reach as far north as Baltimore and Wilmington. Officials estimate that the fire has spread to an estimated 45,000 acres stretching north and west across Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and the Dare Bombing Range owned by the US Department of Defense. At the moment, most of the dense smoke is confined to areas surrounding US Hwy 264 near the fire and US Hwy 64 north of the fire. more ›

D.C. Fire and EMS responded to a house fire on the 800 block of 6th Street NE around 11:30 this morning. Unfortunately, there have been several injuries reported as a result of the fire. more ›

More details are coming to light about the blaze which broke out at a gas station in Georgetown this morning. One person was injured in the fire, which started at the Washington Gas Station at 1576 Wisconsin Avenue NW around 8 a.m. this morning. more ›

A car caught on fire at a gas station near the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Q Street NW this morning, leading to heavy smoke that was seen around the District. The fire, the cause of which is still unknown, has been mostly contained by the D.C. Fire Department, but not before it spread to a neighboring structure and some debris behind the station. more ›

A fire broke out inside a cooling tower near the National Museum of Natural History this morning, creating a large cloud of smoke over the National Mall which was visible for miles. more ›

Nothing says "how was your three-day weekend?" quite like some unexpected morning rush hour Red Line delays! An insulator reportedly started smoking at the Tenleytown station this morning and led to significant delays in both directions between the Van Ness and Friendship Heights stations -- including several trains which have had to sit on the tracks for several minutes or, in some cases, turn back. Add in to that a sick passenger at Twinbrook, and, well, it wasn't a very fun commute for Red Liners this morning. more ›

Around 10:30 a.m. this morning, a Red Line Metro train, heading in the direction of Shady Grove, was taken out of service after smoke was discovered on the tracks outside of the Brookland-CUA station. Those who were on the train were told that the train was out of service and that they had to leave the train -- one person who left the train told DCist that the smoke smelled like "really bad burning rubber." more ›

UPDATE: The fire was caused by an underground transformer in front of the building. The fire is a fairly spectacular one, with flames shooting out of grates and frequent violent explosions. Connecticut Avenue is closed between T and Calvert Streets in both directions, and parts of Florida and T Street are also cordoned off. more ›

There appears to be quite a bit of misinformation floating around regarding an issue at the Dupont Circle Metrorail station during the early evening. Let's clear it up: around 5:45, an escalator broke down and began smoking at the north (Q Street NW) entrance to the station. As a result, that entrance to the station was closed about an hour ago. According to authorities, the station was never shut down and Metro service did no stop at any point during the commotion. The Washington Post confirms that as of 6:30 p.m., the station was smoky, but still open. The most recent report we have is that the situation is totally under control, there were no injuries, and Metro mechanics are working on the escalator in question. If you use the Red Line to get around, you might want to try Farragut North if you're adverse to smoke, but from all indications, the station is fully operational. UPDATE: The Post also states that both Dupont Circle entrances, as of 7:10 p.m., are now open. more ›

Those of you who were heading into work before 8 a.m. on the Orange or Blue lines may have run into a spot of trouble at McPherson Square this morning. The station was closed between 7:19 a.m. and 7:51 a.m., according to Metro, due to smoke in the station. Much like the Federal Center SW incident on Tuesday, the smoke appears to have been related to a lighting fixture, though this time it was a light that lies between the tracks. Metro says some debris got caught above the light and started to smoke. No injuries were reported, and the station is up and running again. more ›

The Federal Center SW Metro station has been evacuated and temporarily closed due to a report of smoke inside the station. WMATA has established shuttle bus service around the closure. The smoke is believed to have been caused by a burned-out lighting fixture near the station platform. No injuries have been reported, but D.C. Fire/EMS is still on the scene investigating. Stay tuned. UPDATE 2:30 p.m. WMATA reports the station has re-opened. more ›

Pity the folks who got stuck on Red Line trains in the vicinity of Metro Center earlier this morning. A small fire broke out on the Shady Grove-bound track at about 10 a.m., causing smoky conditions inside the station and significant delays. We're starting to hear from riders who say their trains were held for over an hour while fire crews worked to clear out the smoke. WMATA reports the situation is resolved as of about 11:45 a.m., but customers should continue to expect delays. Trains were single-tracking until about 11:30 a.m. more ›

D.C. firefighters responded to an electrical explosion at 1801 K Street NW at around 11 a.m. this morning. It appears as though an electrical transformer on the penthouse level of the building malfunctioned and "basically exploded," said D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Pete Piringer. more ›

Reports of smoke on the tracks at Metro Center starting at about 9:20 a.m. caused major delays on the Red Line this morning, with trains sharing the same track between Judiciary Square and Farragut North. WMATA says the situation had been resolved by about 9:40 a.m., but delays persist in both directions on the Red Line. UPDATE 11:09 a.m.: Metro says the cause of the smoke at Metro Center this morning was a fire that broke out after one of the train's collector shoes, which are attached to the third rail, fell off. WMATA is investigating what could have caused such a piece of equipment to disconnect from the train. Each train has four collector shoes. more ›

We received several reports of a booming, explosion-like noise coming from a parking garage near 16th and L Streets NW just before 11:30 a.m. D.C. Fire/EMS spokesperson Alan Etter tells us that the fire department responded to what turned out to be an electrical failure with some Pepco equipment, possibly a transformer, at that location. No visible fire resulted from the short circuit, but we did hear some smoke was visible in the area immediately after the booming noise. Etter described the incident as "not a big deal." more ›

AlertDC lets us know that Pepco is on site at 18th Street and Columbia Rd. NW in response to a smoking manhole cover. DDOT spokesperson John Lisle follows up that Columbia Rd. NW has been closed between 18th Street and Kalorama Road as a result of the manhole emergency and smoke, and traffic is being diverted. Pepco, FEMS and the MPD are all on the scene. DDOT says it has also deployed Road Operations Patrol units and Traffic Control Officers to assist with traffic in the area. more ›

WMATA says the McPherson Square Metro station is temporarily closed as of 11:48 a.m. due to smoke inside the station. A burned out cable is being blamed on the smoky conditions. All Blue and Orange Line trains are currently turning back at Farragut West and Federal Triangle, meaning there is currently no Orange or Blue Line service to either McPherson Square or Metro Center. Expect major delays of more than 40 minutes on both the Orange and Blue Lines until the station reopens. Shuttle bus service has been established. UPDATE 12:44 p.m.: McPherson Square has reopened, but trains are now sharing one track between Farragut West and Federal Triangle, so continue to expect delays on the Orange and Blue Lines. Metro says the station was closed for a total of about 35 minutes, from 11:48 to 12:27 p.m.
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WMATA reported delays on the Red line earlier this morning due to a disruption at the Bethesda station. Metro station announcements said there had been a track malfunction, and that trains were single tracking between Friendship Heights and Medical Center. WAMU and WTOP are both reporting that smoke at the Bethesda station is the cause of the trouble—debris on the tracks was the apparent source of the smoke. Montgomery County officials told WTOP that commuters can exit trains at Bethesda, but no one can board trains there. Expect delays in both directions. Photo by staceyviera more ›

WMATA is reporting major delays in both directions on the Red line due to a fire on the tracks at Cleveland Park at just after 7:30 p.m. The D.C. Fire department responded to the scene, which was also causing a road traffic backup on Connecticut Ave. due to the fire trucks parked next to the station. Trains are currently sharing the same track from Dupont Circle to Van Ness-UDC. Bottom line: for the time being, avoid heading up the Red line if at all possible, and if you're driving, don't take Connecticut. If you're already up there, we'd suggest looking for an L line bus or a cab before opting to wait it out in Metro. more ›

WMATA says delays in both directions on the Orange and Blue lines should be expected after the Federal Triangle Metro station closed for a brief time at about 12:40 p.m. The station was closed after reports of smoke due to a mechanical failure. Federal Triangle reopened at about 1:15 p.m., but trains will be sharing the same track between Farragut West and Smithsonian for an undetermined amount of time. Plan accordingly. more ›