Results tagged “smoke”

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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

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.

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.